Big Ten Conference Football Power Index Rankings Shift With Surprising Contender

The USC Trojans are ranked No. 4 in ESPN’s updated Big Ten Football Power Index rankings. The three teams ahead of them are the Ohio State Buckeyes, Penn State Nittany Lions, and Oregon Ducks.

USC finished tied for ninth place in the Big Ten in 2024. Is No. 4 too high for the Trojans?

USC Trojans Ranked No. 4 in Big Ten

USC Trojans Big Ten Conference Football Power Index Rankings Lincoln Riley Ohio State Buckeyes Oregon Ducks Penn State — Dec 27, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Kyle Ford (81) celebrates after a first down against the Texas A&M Aggies in the second half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans are ranked No. 4 in ESPN’s Big Ten Conference Football Power Index for 2025. USC’s projected record is 8.7-3.5. They give USC a 13.4 percent chance of winning the Big Ten, a 51.4 percent chance to make the College Football Playoff, and a 3.7 percent chance to win the national championship.

Ohio State, Penn State, and Oregon were the three teams above USC in these rankings and rightfully so. Ohio State are the defending national champions, Penn State is a consistent 10 win team every season that just made the College Football Playoff semifinals, and Oregon weren’t undefeated in the regular season and won the Big Ten title.

Finishing above any of these three teams would be a major accomplishment for USC.

USC is coming off of 7-6 2024 season. This was disappointing considering how the season started. USC got off to a 2-0 start with wins over the LSU Tigers and Utah State Aggies. They were ranked as high as No. 11 before things began to go downhill.

USC lost six of their remaining 10 games in the regular season to finish with a record of 6-6, just good enough to sneak into the Las Vegas Bowl. By far the most frustrating thing during this stretch was the amount of winnable games that USC let slip away.

In five of their six losses, USC held a lead in the fourth quarter before eventually losing. This team should have won at least two or three more games, but college football isn’t about the “could of’s” and “should of’s.” USC must be better at finishing games in 2025 or it will look a whole lot like last season.

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Lincoln Riley's Fourth Season

Lincoln Riley is heading into his fourth season as USC coach. Riley and the Trojans agreed to a massive 10-year $110 million contract prior to the 2022 season. With this big of an investment in Riley, USC expects him to be the one to get them back to the pinnacle of college football.

It got off to a great start in his first year. Fresh off a 4-win 2021 season, USC won 11 games and had the Heisman trophy winning quarterback, Caleb Williams. Since then, it has been back to back seasons of regression when it comes to wins and losses. USC went 8-5 in 2023 and then 7-6 in 2024. What does 2025 have in store for them?