Phil Steele: USC is 7th in projected AP Top 25

Phil Steele, the respected college football guru whose name is synonymous with rankings and bowl games, just released on his website the projected AP top 25 poll.

It's important to note that this is not his preseason Top 25 poll, but rather how he thinks AP voters will rank the preseason AP Top 25. Our thanks to Reign of Troy for bringing this article to our attention.

Steele projects USC will be ranked 7th when the poll is released, and here's why he thinks the Trojans will be included in the Top 10.

"This year, the sanctions are gone, the depth returns, they have 14 returning starters and two key things happened in the postseason," Steele writes. "QB Cody Kessler opted to stay, and he was the best QB you never heard of last year ... and they also brought in one of the best recruiting classes in the country. Their starting 22 can match up with almost every other team in the country, and those final 2 factors put the Trojans into the top 10."

The hype is building at USC. Expectations are sky high in Los Angeles, where suddenly they've overshadowed the school across town.

(h/t Reign of Troy)

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