We’re seven weeks in to the college football season. The polls have been tabulated, the formulas have been calculated and the numbers have been crunched. Love it or hate it, those rascally little BCS rankings have just been released and the who’s who of Pac-10 teams at the top of the list may just surprise you.

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Thanks to dramatic losses of both LSU and Cal, #1 Ohio State (.942) takes the top spot in the polls for the second year in a row. The Buckeyes are followed by #2 South Florida (.920), #3 Boston College (.891), #4 LSU (.840) and #5 Oklahoma (.762).

The Pac-Ten is by no means out of the competition with four spots in the initial top 15. USC is #14 with a BCS average .472. That’s a sharp drop from #2, where the Trojans started off last season. After their loss to unranked Oregon State, the Cal Bears found themselves in the #12 spot (.600). The Oregon Ducks are ranked at #10 (.637). A surprise to many, the undefeated Arizona State Sun Devils lead the Pac-10 in the Bowl Champion Series rankings at #8 (.683).

USC is by no means out of the running for a BCS bowl berth, possibly even the national championship game in Louisiana. Ohio State, South Florida and Boston College all have some tough games ahead. If they are hit with late upsets and USC somehow manages to win out by a convincing margin, then the Trojans stand a shot at another title game.

All the Trojans have to do is pull it together. USC has not looked like USC in the last three games. And marginal wins aren’t going to help either. The Trojans must take the battle to Notre Dame…and there’s no room left for mercy anymore.

Rankings available at BCS site.