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Projected college football rankings after Michigan runs over USC

By Scott Rogust

Michigan running back Kalel Mullings (20) runs against USC during the first half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024.
Michigan running back Kalel Mullings (20) runs against USC during the first half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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The Michigan Wolverines welcomed the USC Trojans into the Big Ten on Saturday afternoon at "The Big House." The home team managed to run all over their brand-new conference rivals.

Michigan defeated USC 27-24, thanks in part to a final offensive drive highlighted by Kalel Mullings. The senior running back sprinted for 63 yards after spinning out of a tackle in the middle of the field, before capping things off on one-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-goal.

The Wolverines ran for 290 yards and three touchdowns on 46 carries.

As for USC, they nearly pulled out a win after taking advantage of a Donovan Edwards fumble to set up a 24-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Miller Moss to Ja'Kobi Lane to take a 24-20 lead. However, the aforementioned broken tackle run by Mullings effectively ended any chance USC had of winning in their Big Ten debut.

Projected AP Top 25 college football rankings after Michigan runs over USC

  1. Texas Longhorns
  2. Georgia Bulldogs
  3. Ohio State Bulldogs
  4. Alabama Crimson Tide
  5. Ole Miss Rebels
  6. Tennessee Volunteers
  7. Missouri Tigers
  8. Miami Hurricanes
  9. Oregon Ducks
  10. Penn State Nittany Lions
  11. Utah Utes
  12. Michigan Wolverines
  13. Kansas State Wildcats
  14. USC Trojans
  15. Oklahoma Sooners
  16. LSU Tigers
  17. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
  18. Louisville Cardinals
  19. Oklahoma State Cowboys
  20. Iowa State Cyclones
  21. Clemson Tigers
  22. Illinois Fighting Illini
  23. Texas A&M Aggies
  24. Nebraska Cornhuskers
  25. Northern Illinois Huskies

With Michigan's win over USC, they managed to move up six spots in our projected Top 25 rankings. Given how they were able to win the game, after losing star defensive back Will Johnson to an apparent injury, and making an incredible comeback on their final drive, it's hard not to move them up quite a bit in the rankings.

Michigan does get some help, considering Oklahoma State lost 22-19 to the Utah Utes. Given that Oklahoma has yet to play against Tennessee, the No. 12 spot seems solid for Michigan.

Meanwhile, USC falls to the No. 14 overall spot in the rankings. They managed to overcome Michigan's defense and nearly pulled out a victory behind a gutsy performance by Moss. It just wasn't enough, especially with being unable to stop the run against the Wolverines.

Other results of the 3:30 p.m. ET slate include LSU beating UCLA 34-17, Notre Dame defeating Miami (OH) 34-3, and Northern Illinois falling 23-20 to the Buffalo Bulls.

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