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The fall of Troy is evident in latest Big Ten football power rankings

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Bolch, B. (2026, September 20). The fall of Troy is evident in latest Big Ten football power rankings. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/09/20/sports/big-ten-football-power-rankings-frustrating-story-for-usc-ucla/

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New York Post · collected 2026-09-20 · by Ben Bolch

Quick Summary

Ben Bolch’s latest Big Ten football power rankings highlight the fall of previously strong teams like USC and Oregon into underwhelming performances despite promising starts. The article ranks Indiana at number one, followed by Ohio State and Oregon, with USC slipping to fifth place after initial expectations were not met. Each team is evaluated based on recent games and ongoing challenges, including criticism faced by their coaches.
Written by AI on 2026-09-20, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

In the latest Big Ten football power rankings, USC and Oregon are set to face each other in a game on NBC at 4:30 p.m. PDT Saturday despite both teams starting their seasons with promise but currently facing criticism from coaches under pressure. Both Trojans and UCLA Bruins narrowly avoided losses against weaker Big Ten opponents, raising doubts about their performances. The rankings place Indiana, Ohio State, and Oregon at the top positions with Indiana still undefeated at 3-0, followed by Ohio State at 2-1 and Oregon also at 2-1. USC maintains a strong standing at 4-0 overall but faces scrutiny regarding its defense under coach Lincoln Riley.

Written for “College Football Power Rankings” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 College Football Power Rankings
Sports · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

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How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
18
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
6%
1 of 18 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
66/100
New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-20 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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Running correction rate · 36 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

Ben Bolch
69 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 That could be the case for UCLA’s resurgent football team after the Bruins checked in at No. 8 in the initial College Football Playoff ranking released Tuesday afternoon.
2026-11-04 · mixed framing · UCLA returns to CFP rankings — and might stick this time
🔮 After UCLA lost to Baylor in this arena during that same season, Cronin could be heard yelling two doors down from the locker room.
2026-11-03 · assertive framing · UCLA men’s basketball opens season with epic upset of old nemesis
🔮 “The standards Coach Cori holds here are huge for me,” Aarnisalo said, “and I just knew they could really help me take that next step in my own game and for my future.”
2026-11-02 · assertive framing · UCLA women’s basketball seeks new storybook season after title
🔮 UCLA (8-0) Hasn’t faced a challenge it couldn’t meet under Bob Chesney.
2026-11-01 · assertive framing · There’s a new boss Bruin in latest Big Ten football power rankings
🔮 With UCLA’s game scheduled to start at 1:15 p.m. at the Rose Bowl and USC’s at 4:30 p.m. at the Coliseum, the clock might become the enemy in trying to see both local teams on the same day. 10:07 a.m. – The GPS says it’s 36 minutes to Rose Bowl Parking Lot K as my car exits the driveway under gloomy skies.
2026-11-01 · assertive framing · A UCLA-USC football doubleheader is ultimate race against the clock
🔮 Lincoln Riley couldn’t help himself.
2026-11-01 · assertive framing · USC coach Lincoln Riley’s insecurity shows through after epic upset
🔮 The big question is if they will be one of the top eight teams, which would put them in position to host a first-round game at the Rose Bowl.
2026-10-31 · assertive framing · UCLA’s defense lives up to Bruin Bullies name with lockdown showing
🔮 Among the many theories as to why they could upset second-ranked Ohio State: The Buckeyes will start either a true freshman or a redshirt freshman at quarterback after Julian Sayin suffered a severe shoulder injury.
2026-10-30 · assertive framing · USC football’s shaky season comes down to pulling massive upset or bust
🔮 “You raised the standard,” Chesney told his players last week, “of what it means to play football here – the physical nature, the disciplined nature, the tough and nasty f—ing nature that will play all the way to the whistle on every single play.
2026-10-30 · mixed framing · Unbeaten UCLA facing unique 3-headed attack as CFP bid inches closer
🔮 It also sparked speculation about Riley’s fit at a place where he wasn’t hired by athletic director Jen Cohen as well as his possible desire to go somewhere else that might offer an easier path to the CFP.
2026-10-28 · assertive framing · USC’s embattled Lincoln Riley has resolute response to mounting criticism
Also by Ben Bolch
UCLA returns to CFP rankings — and might stick this time
2026-11-04 · New York Post
UCLA men’s basketball opens season with epic upset of old nemesis
2026-11-03 · New York Post
UCLA women’s basketball seeks new storybook season after title
2026-11-02 · New York Post
A UCLA-USC football doubleheader is ultimate race against the clock
2026-11-01 · New York Post
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 69 articles by Ben Bolch →

Topics

Big Ten NBC Oregon Trojans USC

Subjects

Big Ten ORG · 2× Oregon GPE · 2× USC ORG · 2× Ben Bolch’s PERSON · 1× Curt Cignetti PERSON · 1× Indiana ORG · 1× NBC ORG · 1× NFL ORG · 1× Trojans ORG · 1× UCLA Bruins ORG · 1×

Narrative

Meanwhile, both the Trojans and UCLA Bruins narrowly escaped their Big Ten openers against underwhelming opponents.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-20
🔮 It will be fascinating to watch who emerges more confounded from the showdown of disappointing teams.
2026-09-20 · New York Post
The fall of Troy is evident in latest Big Ten football power rankings · assertive framing

Claims (18 extracted, 1 hedged)

Both teams opened the season with great promise. asserted
teams → open → promise
It will be fascinating to watch who emerges more confounded from the showdown of disappointing teams. asserted
who → watch → teams
Meanwhile, both the Trojans and UCLA Bruins narrowly escaped their Big Ten openers against underwhelming opponents. asserted
Trojans → escape → opponents
That does not breed much confidence in the teams from SoCal. asserted
That → breed → SoCal
1. Indiana (3-0) A NFL team should offer Curt Cignetti a 50% ownership stake. asserted
team → offer → stake
Ohio State (2-1) Those who have been Sayin’ the Buckeyes will recover may be right. uncertain
Buckeyes → Sayin → ?
(2) 3. Oregon (2-1) Who figured that Dan Lanning would feel so much early heat? asserted
Lanning → figure → heat
(3) 4. Penn State (3-0) Offense can leave cupcakes feeling buffaloed. asserted
Offense → leave → cupcakes
(5) 7. Michigan (3-0) New motto regarding Western Michigan debacle: Like it never happened. asserted
it → regard → debacle
(7) 8. Iowa (3-0) What do you call three ballcarriers going over 100 yards? asserted
you → call → yards
Washington (3-0) Undefeated Huskies still haven’t proven they have much bite. asserted
they → prove → bite
You shut out North Dakota! asserted
You → shut → Dakota
Illinois (2-1) Fans at Roger Ebert’s alma mater give Southern Illinois rout two thumbs up. asserted
Fans → give → thumbs
Minnesota (2-1) Akron was the needed get-right opponent for Golden Gophers. asserted
Akron → need → Gophers
Wisconsin (2-1) Continues to dominate directional schools with rout of Eastern Michigan. asserted
Wisconsin → continue → Michigan
Northwestern (2-0) Chip Kelly’s offense revealed that Deion Sanders is past his prime. asserted
Sanders → reveal → prime
(12) 17. Purdue (1-2, 0-1) Big Ten misery will linger until Boilermakers’ defense gets a stop. asserted
defense → linger → stop
18. Rutgers (0-3, 0-1) It was fun to daydream about a Greg Schiano reprieve for a while. asserted
It → daydream → while
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