College Football Playoff Rankings 2022: Projected Top 25 for Week 13

Nov 19, 2022; Waco, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs place kicker Griffin Kell (39) and his teammates celebrate the victory over the Baylor Bears after Kell kicks the game winning field goal against the Bears as time expires at McLane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

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Nov 19, 2022; Pasadena, California, USA; Southern California Trojans defensive end Korey Foreman (0) celebrates after an interception against the UCLA Bruins during the second half at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

Alright, we are at the point of the rankings where we’ll talk about how each team from this point on escaped a major upset.

USC is no exception to that.

The Trojans were looking for revenge for their cross-town battle loss against UCLA last season when Dorian Thompson-Robinson went bonkers, but Caleb Williams became this year’s legend in the rivalry game with 470 yards and two touchdowns to go along with his rushing score. He was fantastic.

DTR still put up decent numbers, but his three interceptions were the difference between winning and losing.

I think USC will jump two spots for beating a ranked team and, well, the Trojans have just one loss as opposed to two by LSU. I think the committee might ultimately favor a two-loss LSU SEC champ over a one-loss Trojan Pac-12 champion, but for now, it doesn’t make sense to list the Tigers ahead of USC.

USC looked like a top-five team on Saturday night.

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