College Football Rankings 2019: Projected Top 25, Week 5 – Wisconsin rising

After falling to BYU in Week 3, USC tumbled out of the AP Top 25. This week, after taking down Utah 30-23 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Friday night, Clay Helton’s seat cooled down just a little bit. In the process, the Trojans set themselves up to climb right back into the polls when the dust settles on Week 4.

After taking a hit from Utah defensive lineman Leki Fotu, quarterback Kedon Slovis was forced to exit the game. In came Matt Fink, the third-string quarterback at the start of the season, and the offense didn’t experience a hiccup. Fink finished with 351 yards and three touchdowns on 21-of-30 passing, fueling the comeback on a day where the Utah defense held USC to 13 total rushing yards.

Next week the Trojans head to Seattle for a key interdivisional showdown against Washington. The Trojans will end up somewhere in the last five of the AP Top 25 this week, but they are positioned to make a rapid leap up the polls if they keep winning over the next few weeks — if they can curb the injury bug that continues to plague the program.

Now the Huskies head home for a Week 5 date with a once-cold, now-hot USC squad on their third quarterback of the season. A win over the Trojans will consolidate Washington’s position in the Pac-12 race as they fight to keep pace with the Cal team that dealt them their only loss to date.