USC moved up two spots to No. 18 in the latest College Football Playoff heading into week 11. The Trojans are coming off a bye week but with teams like Missouri, LSU and Ohio State suffering a third loss this past weekend, they

Southern Cal will head to No. 9 Indiana this weekend with their College Football Playoff hopes on the line. With two losses already on the resume, Riley's squad is in a one-game season.

The Hoosiers noticeably dropped five spots despite also having a bye last week.

The Trojans find themselves in a similar situation as this time year ago. USC was ranked No. 16 in the CFP rankings as they fell to No. 5 Oregon late last November and watched their playoff hopes end in Eugene. Can the Trojans shock the country and write a different story in 2026?

It certainly won't be an easy task. The defending national champions have a very different team than a year ago, but they have also only one game at Memorial Stadium in coach Curt Cignetti's three seasons.

Despite being ranked No. 18, USC still controls their playoff destiny, but they have to win out. A win over then-No. 2 Ohio State is a signature win but with Indiana and No. 4 UCLA still left on the schedule, the Trojans path to the postseason is right in front of them.

Reaction to the Rest of the CFP

Georgia reclaims the No. 1 spot after routing No. 19 Ole Miss 42-7 this past weekend. Notre Dame moves up six spots to No. 1 after a signature win over No. 7 Miami. The Irish will end the season with matchups against Boston College, SMU and Syracuse, which puts them in a position to earn a first-round bye.

No. 15 Iowa is at a very notable spot. The Hawkeyes are another Big Ten school that has never made the playoff but that could change this season. They currently sit at 7-2 and could certainly run the table with Purdue, Illinois and Nebraska left of the schedule.

The committee continues to be very inconsistent. Oregon jumped from seven spots No. 23 to No. 16, which puts them two spots ahead of USC, despite having three losses compared to the Trojans two. Yes, the Ducks have the head-to-head win, and they did so decisively at the Coliseum.

Where does the inconsistency come from? Oklahoma State has a head-to-win over Oregon and they both sit at 6-3, but the Cowboys are No. 25. No. 20 Ohio State at 6-3 defeated No. 15 Iowa at 7-2. No. 8 Tennessee has the same record as No. 3 Alabama and a blowout win over their rival.

UCLA moved up four spots as their undefeated season under first-year coach Bob Chesney continues. Utah is another former Pac-12 team that is thriving in their new conference. The Utes are coming off a win over in-state BYU, who dropped one spot to No. 1, this past weekend to remain undefeated.

LSU falls seven spots to No. 21 after suffering their suffering a third loss to Alabama. But the Tigers might not be quite out of it. If there was ever a year a three-loss SEC got into the College Football Playoff this year.

Either things continue to go south for Lane Kiffin in his first year in Baton Rouge or they turn it around with matchups against No. 7 Texas and No. 8 Tennessee left on the schedule.