Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer has worn a black hoodie during the team’s six-game winning streak.
DeBoer is undefeated this season and 14-2 all-time at Alabama while wearing the hoodie.
DeBoer plans to continue wearing the hoodie to ‘ride the momentum’ of the team’s success.

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Protect the hoodie.

Kalen DeBoer stayed hot in his black hoodie. Alabama’s six-game winning streak has come with DeBoer wearing his signature look that he picked back up after wearing a red polo in Alabama’s season-opening flop to Florida State.

The No. 6 Tide trashed No. 11 Tennessee 37-20 at Bryant-Denny Stadium. DeBoer hasn’t lost this season while wearing the hoodie. He’s now 14-2 all-time in the hoodie at Alabama.

‘We’re going to ride the momentum,’ DeBoer said, when asked about what’s become his trademark look.

Postgame tradition in this Third Saturday in October rivlary dictates that the winning side lights up cigars. DeBoer knew he must keep his hoodie safe from the celebratory stogies.

‘I told the guys not to get any ashes on it,’ DeBoer joked after his first triumph against Tennessee.

Whatever it takes to keep the winning streak alive.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

Those College Football Playoff hopes for Notre Dame? 

They’re doing just fine.

The 15th-ranked Fighting Irish ensured their bid to get back to the national championship title game is far from over with their running game leading a 34-24 defeat of No. 21 Southern California in the 96th Battle of the Jeweled Shillelagh.

It was only the seventh game of the season for Notre Dame, but it was the one that would decide the fate of the rest of the campaign. It couldn’t afford another loss after opening with close defeats to Miami and Texas A&M.

The Fighting Irish played with the necessary urgency, running for 306 yards, led by a career day by Jeremiyah Love. The junior running back piled up a career-high 228 yards and one touchdown on the ground on just 24 carries for an average 9.5 yards per carry. It was the most rushing yards for a Notre Dame player in Notre Dame Stadium history.

‘We just played our butts off, and when the opportunity presented itself, we executed,’ Love said.

Love was complimented by 87 rushing yards from fellow back Jadarian Price, but his impact went beyond the running game. 

After USC rallied in the second half to take a 24-21 lead in the third quarter, Price took the ensuing kickoff 100-yards to the house and sent the Notre Dame faithful into a frenzy. Between Love and Price, the dynamic duo combined for 436 total yards.

‘It’s not very common in life to see two guys that are so talented that deserve the ball in their hand every snap, but choose to put the team in front of themselves and then make the most of their opportunities,’ Freeman said.

The strong performance from the running backs delivered what Freeman wanted in the rivalry matchup: a physical, ‘bloody’ performance. He believed which ever team proved its toughness at the line of scrimmage would emerge on top, and the steady rain in South Bend forced both teams to focus on the ground game.

On both sides, it all pointed to a Fighting Irish win. Not only did Notre Dame dominate on the ground, but it limited the Trojan rushing attack to 68 yards.

‘It was going to be one in the trenches,’ Freeman said. ‘We weren’t going to be able to throw up the ball a lot in the second half because of the moisture and the weather. That’s what we want.

‘That’s our edge. We got to be we got to play the game in a physical matter,’ he added.

Notre Dame has now won five consecutive games, but most importantly got its first ranked win of the season. Even if the Trojans fall out of the US LBM coaches poll, it’s a big resume booster that the Fighting Irish need to secure a spot in the playoff if they can win the rest of the games.

Costly mistakes dooms USC

The Trojans had a chance to reclaim the lead several times in the second half but were undone by too many mistakes. Quarterback Jayden Maiava threw an interception, but it was a failed trick play in the fourth quarter that really killed any momentum the Trojans had.

They attempted a reverse-pass play with receiver Makai Lemon, but he fumbled while looking to throw the ball. Notre Dame recovered for a key turning point in the game. It was one of three turnovers committed by USC. Notre Dame had just one.

It’s the failed trick play that was haunting Riley after the loss.

‘Stupid call, stupid call,’ he said.

Notre Dame was able to add another touchdown to make it a 10-point game and USC couldn’t cut the deficit, shut out in the final frame.

It’s a difficult loss for USC and Riley after showing signs of life in a win over Michigan last week. Although it wasn’t a conference win, the Trojans are 5-2 and the path to its first playoff appearance gets more difficult, especially with a road trip to Oregon later in the season.  

Kalen DeBoer dressed in his black assassin’s hoodie, and Alabama zapped another ranked opponent. This time, Tennessee fell victim.
If Ty Simpson keeps playing like this, he’ll be a Heisman Trophy finalist.
Interception swings game to Alabama.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Must be the hoodie.

Couldn’t just be that Kalen DeBoer has become the best big-game coach in the country.

Seriously. Look it up. Peep his record against ranked opponents. It’s mind-bogglingly brilliant.

Couldn’t just be that DeBoer’s got Alabama playing like it intends to spend the first Saturday of December in Atlanta, competing for an SEC championship. And it couldn’t just be that he’s got his quarterback playing like he’ll be in New York City the following week.

Nah, it must be that “black hoodie of death.”

A mere seven weeks ago, Alabama and its coach were the butt of the joke.

Now, he’s Darth DeBoer. His No. 6 Crimson Tide just zapped a fourth straight ranked opponent, felling No. 11 Tennessee 37-20 at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Alabama fans were ready for a bloodletting after DeBoer’s second season as the GOAT’s heir started with a pathetic performance in a loss at Florida State.

Boosters were grumbling, and the mood was such that one fan played the Powerball with hopes of winning so she could personally cover DeBoer’s buyout that tops $60 million and run him out of town. Seriously.

Better save those shekels. If Alabama keeps this up, this season will include bonuses, not buyouts, for DeBoer.

From Penn State to LSU and lands in between, what opposing fan bases would give for a coach with DeBoer’s 19-3 career record against ranked opponents, or his now 14-2 record in that assassin’s hoodie. All other game-day attire has been retired. DeBoer ought to burn that red polo he wore against Florida State, but he protected the precious hoodie from cigar smoke while players enjoyed a puff, as is tradition after the Third Saturday in October rivalry.

‘I told the guys not to get any ashes on it,’ DeBoer quipped.

Alabama, Ty Simpson continue march toward SEC championship game

Inside the messy SEC, only Texas A&M remains undefeated, but who wants to take on Alabama? It’s toppled Georgia and halted the nation’s longest home winning streak. It regained its honor against Vanderbilt. It survived Missouri. It mauled Tennessee.

Nobody should take wins like these for granted in perilous times like these, inside this unforgiving conference, not when Texas needs overtime to survive Kentucky, and Texas A&M is pushed to the brink by Arkansas and LSU’s losing to Vanderbilt.

These aren’t the 2022 Vols, and their pass defense is especially vulnerable. Quarterback Ty Simpson took full advantage, deftly passing for 253 yards. Tennessee fits into that middle glob of SEC teams that are pretty good, but not great. Alabama’s established itself onto a higher tier.

No, I’m not declaring Alabama “back,” because what does that even mean? Nick Saban’s dynasty is finished. This six-game win streak doesn’t change that. What this does do is establish Alabama as a top playoff contender, maybe even the SEC’s best national championship contender.

Anyway, Alabama’s not winning with the joyless murderball style that became the hallmark of Saban’s peak. This is a quarterback-fueled uprising.

Simpson’s playing as well as any quarterback south of the Mason-Dixon Line, and his wide receivers are some of the finest this side of Columbus, Ohio.

On Alabama’s first drive, Simpson faced peril. Two pass rushers had him pinned in — or so it seemed. He danced in the end zone to buy time, then fired a strike to Josh Cuevas to move the chains on third down. That entire first drive — a 91-yard march — became a master class of quarterbacking by this veteran who sat behind Bryce Young, then Jalen Milroe, and waited his turn to become a star in a transfer age. He went from a preseason question mark to a midseason premier asset.

Tide turns to Alabama on pivotal interception

Good as he was, Simpson’s arm didn’t deliver this victory.

This one swung on a 14-point twist on the final play before halftime. Tennessee’s Joey Aguilar flipped a pass toward the end zone, where Miles Kitselman was running an out route toward the pylon.

If Aguilar’s pass had found its mark, the Vols would have gone to their locker room trailing by just two points, having stolen the momentum. Instead, Alabama cornerback Zabien Brown stole the football.

Aguilar’s pass lacked the required zip, and it sailed to Kitselman’s back shoulder instead of leading him. Brown jumped the route, pried the pigskin from the sky and won a 99-yard footrace to the opposite end zone. A would-be seven points for Tennessee became seven for Alabama.

And the Tide hooped and hollered on their way to the locker room, and their fans pumped their red and white pompoms, and Tennessee was toast.

“Love it,” DeBoer said in his radio interview on his way to the halftime locker room.

Keep beating rivals like this, wearing that black hoodie, and maybe these rabid fans in this football-crazed state will even learn to love him back.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

ATHENS, Ga. – It’s their own dang fault. They’ve set the bar so high, there’s only one way this could unfold. 

With the end of the boogeyman.

Structurally speaking, of course. Because even No. 7 Georgia’s 43-35 thrill-a-minute victory over No. 5 Ole Miss can’t hide the hideous truth. 

‘We weren’t dead,’ said Georgia defensive end Jordan Hall. ‘We just needed one stop.’

Said every Big 12 player and coach, ever. And here’s the crazy part: the architect of some of the greatest defenses of the modern era said it, too.

That was Georgia coach Kirby Smart, whose work as defensive coordinator at Alabama and head coach at Georgia over the past two decades redefined the art of stopping the other guy, standing at the podium in the aftermath of this epic volley of last man with the ball wins, struggling to comprehend and explain it all.

‘I always show confidence in our defense,’ Smart said. ‘Which is hard to do now.’

If you think that’s a shocking statement, consider this: but for Georgia’s typical meltdown last month against nemesis Alabama, the Bulldogs and their ungodly example of defense would be unbeaten.

The defense that gave up five touchdowns on Ole Miss’ first five drives, that didn’t force a punt until the fourth quarter, that last month gave up 41 points in a win over Tennessee, is still in position to play for the SEC championship and potentially earn a top-four seed in the College Football Playoff. 

With a defense that fits perfectly in the old Western Athletic Conference.

‘We just had to keep scoring points,’ said Georgia tight end Lawson Luckie, who caught three touchdown passes. ‘Every series, score points.’

The one saving grace for Georgia was the Ole Miss defense, which still can’t stop any legitimate offense in a big game — especially away from Oxford. So you get what we got on a perfect, sun-splashed day in the deep south. 

Points and touchdowns. All over the joint. 

Georgia’s nine drives: field goal, touchdown, touchdown, field goal, touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, field goal, end of game.

Were it not for Georgia finally figuring it out defensively on the final three drives of the game for Ole Miss — or more to the point, Ole Miss simply missing plays that were there for the taking — the official end of Georgia’s defensive dominance would’ve included a devastating loss. 

This is the same Ole Miss offense that last week struggled to score 24 points on lowly Washington State. Then the Georgia defense stepped on the field, and it may as well have been one of those Mark Richt era Todd Grantham defenses of long ago, helpless to stop anything and anyone.

Ole Miss failed to score on the final drive of the game, a three-and-out (three drives, no scores) of the worst kind. That’s 11 plays for 13 yards, after torching the Georgia defense for whatever it wanted over the first five drives.

As strange as it sounds, the best friend of the Georgia defense was the Georgia offense, which chewed clock with extended drives that kept Ole Miss off the field. Imagine that, the worst possible scenario for Georgia was its defense on the field ― until it mattered most.

‘We just looked at each other and said, we gotta have it,’ said Georgia linebacker CJ Allen. ‘Just needed one stop.’

Somewhere, all over the NFL footprint, the stars of Georgia past just puked.

Nothing about this Georgia defense remotely resembles past iterations under Smart, defenses that controlled the front with four down linemen, played two safeties high and dared you to throw the ball.  

Defenses that set the tone by eliminating the run game, pressuring the quarterback and forcing turnovers. Defenses that made Georgia the boogeyman of college football. 

Now Georgia can’t get to the quarterback, and can’t cover a simple hitch throw. To be fair to the defense, Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss was masterful at extending plays and finding open receivers.

But there’s no such thing as extending plays on Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis, or Nolan Smith and Travon Walker, or Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker. And that’s kind of the point.

Those elite defenders Smart had stacked and packed on the roster like game day traffic on State Road 316, aren’t around anymore. Whether it’s recruiting misses, or development or players leaving for the transfer portal, this defense can’t dictate games ― much less control them.

The Bulldogs had eight sacks in six games before Ole Miss rolled into town, which is sort of like saying Lake Burton, the 2,800 acre playpen of the rich and famous (and Nick Saban) 90 minutes north of here, suddenly went dry.

If you think that’s bad, the Dawgs have forced six turnovers in seven games. Six.

The two areas that have defined the Georgia defense — and really, the Georgia program — under Smart are all but obsolete. The Dawgs aren’t getting to the quarterback, and aren’t forcing turnovers.

They’re just holding on for their very lives in big games.

At one point in the post-game news conference, an exasperated Smart was asked why the defense played so much man coverage if there were obvious problems in the secondary.

‘(Chambliss) was 12-for-12 against zone (coverage),’ Smart said. ‘I’d rather play man, and hope we can get to 2nd-and-10.’

That’s about as damning a statement as Smart could make. The Dawgs simply don’t have game-changing players on defense, which forces the offense — saved Saturday by tough, overachieving quarterback Gunner Stockton — to be nearly perfect. Or play a defense worse than their defense (see: Ole Miss). 

When Georgia isn’t perfect offensively, Tennessee blows a chance to beat the Dawgs for the first time since 2016. Alabama stops a bleed-out by beating Georgia (again), and Georgia needs some funky officiating to beat an Auburn team with a truly pitiful offense. 

It’s no secret how it got to this point, how the anchor of all things big, bad Georgia can’t find its footing. How the offense, with Gunner Stockton gutting it out despite an oblique injury and playing the best game of his brief career, now has to save the team in the fourth quarter.

There was a time when the Georgia defense salted away games long before that. When its very presence on the field intimidated everything and everyone.

The next thing you know, a quarterback (Chambliss) who was playing at Division II Ferris State last season, is running around and making plays ― and making the once feared Georgia defense look mighty average.

‘Our margins are small and tight,’ Smart said. ‘If we can run the ball and stop the run, we can win the game. It will just be holy hell to win it.’

Either way, the boogeyman is dead. Long live, the Georgia offense. 

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.

University of Tennessee coach Tony Vitello has emerged as a frontrunner for the San Francisco Giants’ managerial opening, yet his hiring is not certain, according to a person familiar with the Giants’ managerial negotiations.

The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of negotiations.

Vitello is the highest-paid coach in collegiate baseball, at more than $3 million a season, and it’s believed he’d have to take a pay cut to manage in the major leagues, where first-time managers earn significantly less.

Posey has interviewed multiple candidates, including Nick Hundley, his former backup catcher with the Giants. They’ve reportedly interviewed former Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde and Kansas City Royals bench coach Vance Wilson.

While many managers still struggle to make $1 million a season at the entry level, the top end of the market has gone up in recent years with Craig Counsell’s five-year, $40 million contract to shift from the Milwaukee Brewers dugout to the Chicago Cubs, and Dave Roberts’ $8.1 million annual salary with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In the past five years, the pay scales have made a move from the pro ranks to the colleges more likely, with coaches such as former Minnesota Twins pitching coach Wes Johnson moving on to the same job at LSU before taking the head position at Georgia.

Posey meeting Vitello’s market would pose some risk for the second-year baseball chief, with the fiery Volunteers coach having to adjust to both the pro game and professional personalities. Posey made significant changes to the Giants roster this past winter, yet the club finished 81-81, the fourth consecutive season the club finished between 79 and 81 wins.

The Athletic first reported that Vitello and the Giants were in advanced discussions about the managerial opening.

MLS players gathered around each other, watching iPhones and stadium scoreboards, waiting for final whistles to blow on Decision Day, Oct. 18.

Some were celebrating with pride. Others left the pitch disappointed as their seasons came to an end.

The Philadelphia Union won the 2025 Supporters’ Shield. They’ve clinched home-pitch advantage in the 2025 MLS Cup playoffs.

FC Cincinnati and Inter Miami each finished one point behind them in the standings. All three clubs finished with higher point totals than any of their counterparts in the West.

The East well could host the West in the MLS Cup final on Dec. 6.

Expansion side San Diego FC won the Western Conference ahead of Vancouver. They’ve secured the most points by any expansion club in MLS history.

Messi wins MLS Golden Boot, could win MVP

Lionel Messi scored a hat trick with an assist to help Inter Miami beat Nashville SC 5-2. He finishes with 29 goals and 19 assists to finish with 48 goal contributions in 2025.
Anders Dreyer had two goals and an assist in a 3-0 win at Portland, finishing with 19 goals and 19 assists.
Denis Bouanga was held scoreless, finishing the season with 24 goals and nine assists.
Nashville’s Sam Surridge scored against Inter Miami, finishing with 24 goals and five assists.
Cincinnati’s Evander had a goal and assist against Montreal, finishing with 18 goals and 15 assists.

Final Eastern Conference standings

Philadelphia Union (66 points)
FC Cincinnati (65)
Inter Miami CF (65)
Charlotte FC (59)
New York City FC (56)
Nashville SC (54)
Columbus Crew (54)
Chicago Fire (53)
Orlando City SC (53)

Eastern Conference playoff matchups

Wild-card matchup:

Chicago Fire (No. 8) vs. Orlando City (9)

Round 1 (best-of-three series):

Philadelphia Union (1) vs. Chicago Fire-Orlando City (8/9 winner)
FC Cincinnati (2) vs. Columbus Crew (7)
Inter Miami CF (3) vs. Nashville SC (6)
Charlotte FC (4) vs. New York City FC (5)

Final Western Conference standings

San Diego FC (63 points)
Vancouver Whitecaps (63)
Los Angeles FC (60)
Minnesota United (58)
Seattle Sounders (55)
Austin FC (47)
FC Dallas (44)
Portland Timbers (44)
Real Salt Lake (41)

Western Conference playoff matchups

Wild-card matchup:

Portland Timbers (No. 8) vs. Real Salt Lake (No. 9)

Round 1 (best-of-three series):

San Diego FC (1) vs. Portland Timbers/Real Salt Lake (8/9 winner)
Vancouver Whitecaps (2) vs. FC Dallas (7)
LAFC (3) vs. Austin FC (6)
Minnesota United (4) vs. Seattle Sounders (5)

When do the MLS playoffs start?

Here is the playoff schedule:

Oct. 22: Wild-card matches (single-elimination matches)

Chicago Fire vs. Orlando City (8:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass)
Portland Timbers vs. Real Salt Lake (10:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass)

Oct. 24-Nov. 9: Round 1 (best-of-three series)
Nov. 22-23: Conference semifinals (single-elimination matches)
Nov. 29-30: Conference finals (single-elimination matches)
Dec. 6: MLS Cup (single winner-take-all match)

UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava suffered an injury late in Saturday’s game against Maryland, but it didn’t keep him away from leading the game-winning drive.

The injury occurred with just more than two minutes left in the game. UCLA was leading 14-10 with a chance to put the game away. On third down, Iamaleava was looking for a receiver but was taken down as he threw the ball. 

Iamaleava stayed down on the ground as team personnel attended to him. He was holding onto his right knee.

After a few minutes down on the field, Iamaleava was able to walk off on his own power. He then went into the medical tent on the sideline.

Nico Iamaleava returns, leads Bruins to victory

It’s unknown what Iamaleava hurt or the severity of it, but it didn’t take him out of the contest.

After Maryland scored a touchdown to tie the game in the final minute, Iamaleava returned to the field.

Iamaleava didn’t slow down, completing two key passes to get the Bruins into field goal range. UCLA kicked a field goal in the final seconds for a 20-17 win. It’s the third consecutive victory for the Bruins.

This story will be updated when more information is made available.

The No. 11-ranked Vols dropped their annual ‘Third Saturday in October’ rivalry game to No. 6 Alabama 37-20 on Saturday, Oct. 18 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

It is the 11th consecutive loss in Tuscaloosa for Tennessee, which entered the night looking to win back-to-back games in the rivalry series for the first time in over two decades. Instead, it’s the Crimson Tide smoking the postgame victory cigars.

The Vols dug themselves into a hole just before halftime and were unable to dig themselves out of it. At the Alabama 1-yard line with 9 seconds remaining in the first half, Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar decided to throw the ball and it was intercepted by Zabien Brown, who took it to the house for a 99-yard touchdown to put the Crimson Tide up 23-7.

That wasn’t the only poor decision of the night from Aguilar. Earlier in the second quarter, the 6-foot-3 quarterback was sacked by the Crimson Tide defense in the end zone for a safety. Aguilar finished 28 of 44 passing for 268 yards with a touchdown and an interception on the night.

Tennessee is now 0-2 against top-six ranked opponents this season, with the other loss coming to then-No. 6 Georgia at home in Knoxville on Sept. 13.

So, where will the Vols fall in the latest top 25 rankings following the defeat? Here’s where they may land:

Tennessee rankings: Where will Vols fall to after Alabama loss?

Though it is a painful loss for Tennessee, as it adds a second loss to the resume for Josh Heupel’s squad, the loss to Alabama by no means is a ‘bad’ loss or a ‘season-crushing’ loss.

It will still drop the Vols a spot or two in the top 25 rankings when they are released on Sunday afternoon.

Tennessee did not receive any help from the teams around it in the top 25 polls, as No. 12 Georgia Tech, No. 13 Oklahoma, No. 14 BYU and No. 15 Notre Dame all won their games. There were also two top 10 teams near Tennessee in the polls that sustained losses: No. 8 Texas Tech to unranked Arizona State and No. 10 LSU to Diego Pavia and No. 18 Vanderbilt. Depending on how the voters for the US LBM Coaches Poll and AP Top 25 poll view those top-10 losses, they could send Tennessee out of the top 15.

The Vols have two more chances at boosting their College Football Playoff resume with top-25 ranked teams, as Tennessee still has to face No. 13 Oklahoma and No. 18 Vanderbilt. Those are now the biggest games left on the season for Tennessee; a third loss to one of those teams or an additional loss to either Kentucky, New Mexico State or Florida will surely take the Vols out of contention for the SEC championship game and College Football Playoff.

Here’s how the rest of the top 15 fared in Week 8, and how those games might affect the Vols’ ranking:

Rankings reflective of the latest US LBM Coaches Poll

No. 1 Ohio State: Beat Wisconsin
No. 2 Miami: Lost to Louisville 
No. 3 Indiana: Beat Michigan State
No. 4 Texas A&M: Beat Arkansas 
No. 5 Ole Miss: Lost to No. 7 Georgia
No. 6 Alabama: Beat Tennessee
No. 7 Georgia: Beat No. 5 Ole Miss
No. 8 Texas Tech: Lost to Arizona State
No. 9 Oregon: Beat Rutgers
No. 10 LSU: Lost to No. 18 Vanderbilt
No. 11 Tennessee: Lost to No. 6 Alabama
No. 12 Georgia Tech: Beat Duke
No. 13 Oklahoma: Beat South Carolina
No. 14 BYU: Beat No. 22 Utah
No. 15 Notre Dame: Beat No. 21 USC

Final projection for Tennessee: No. 17

The No. 21-ranked Trojans fell to longtime foe and No. 15 Notre Dame by a score of 34-24 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana, on Saturday, Oct. 18. 

It is the second loss of the season for Lincoln Riley’s squad, which now drops to 5-2 overall on the season.

Notre Dame separated itself from USC late in the third quarter and into the fourth quarter. The Trojans’ slide started with Jayden Maiava under-throwing a pass downfield into the hands of Notre Dame cornerback Christian Gray. The interception by Gray came after USC’s special teams unit gave up a 100-yard kickoff return to Jadarian Price.

Then, on the Trojans’ next drive, wide receiver Makai Lemon got the ball knocked out of his hands at the conclusion of a jet sweep play that turned into a flea flicker throwing attempt as the Fighting Irish rushed him to the sidelines. Lemon’s fumble resulted in a 2-yard rushing touchdown from Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr.

Maiava would throw his second interception on USC’s final offensive play of the night as he tried to go downfield on third-and-17 to Walker Lyons, but it instead sailed into the hands of Notre Dame’s Luke Talich.

The Trojans’ defense did a nice job handling Carr on the night, but they had no answers whatsoever for the Fighting Irish’s explosive running game with Jeremiyah Love and Price. Notre Dame finished with 306 rushing yards on the night, with 228 of those coming from Love himself.

So, where will the Trojans fall in the latest top 25 rankings following the defeat? Here’s where they may land:

USC rankings: How far will Trojans drop after Notre Dame loss?

While the loss is certainly not a “bad loss” by any means since it came against a top-15-ranked team and was an out-of-conference loss, USC will certainly see a drop in the top-25 rankings.

The question that is now presented is the type of slide Riley’s squad will experience, largely in part to the very slight difference of USC’s current ranking in the US LBM Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25 poll. The Trojans entered the day ranked No. 21 in the Coaches Poll and No. 20 in the AP poll. That one-spot difference could either keep the Trojans in the top 25 or take them out of it for the second time this season, depending on how voters cast their ballots, of course.

Despite the loss, USC still has multiple paths to the College Football Playoff. The likely path for the Trojans to get into the 12-team CFP field, now with two losses on the season, is to earn the automatic bid by winning the Big Ten Conference.

As things stand right now, the Trojans have two remaining ranked opponents on their schedule, according to the latest AP Top 25 poll, in No. 25 Nebraska and No. 8 Oregon. The Cornhuskers will no longer be a ranked opponent for USC when the two programs meet on Nov. 1, as Nebraska fell to Minnesota on Friday, Oct. 17. 

Here’s how the rest of the top 25 fared in Week 8, and how those games might affect the Trojans’ ranking:

Rankings reflective of the latest US LBM Coaches Poll

No. 1 Ohio State: Beat Wisconsin
No. 2 Miami: Lost to Louisville 
No. 3 Indiana: Beat Michigan State
No. 4 Texas A&M: Beat Arkansas 
No. 5 Ole Miss: Lost to No. 7 Georgia
No. 6 Alabama: Beat No. 11 Tennessee
No. 7 Georgia: Beat No. 5 Ole Miss
No. 8 Texas Tech: Lost to Arizona State
No. 9 Oregon: Beat Rutgers
No. 10 LSU: Lost to No. 18 Vanderbilt
No. 11 Tennessee: Lost to No. 6 Alabama
No. 12 Georgia Tech: Beat Duke
No. 13 Oklahoma: Beat South Carolina
No. 14 BYU: In action vs. No. 22 Utah
No. 15 Notre Dame: Beat No. 21 USC
No. 16 Missouri: In action vs. Auburn
No. 17 Texas: Beat Kentucky
No. 18 Vanderbilt: Beat No. 10 LSU
No. 19 Virginia: Beat Washington State
No. 20 Memphis: Lost to UAB
No. 21 USC: Lost to No. 15 Notre Dame
No. 22 Utah: In action vs. No. 14 BYU
No. 23 South Florida: Beat FAU
No. 24 Cincinnati: Beat Oklahoma State
No. 25 Illinois: BYE

Final projection for USC: No. 24