USC’s loss to Oregon on Saturday resulted in another drop in each of the college football polls, although not quite as far as you may have expected (perhaps because national voters are finally beginning to recognize the Ducks as a very good team). The Trojans now find themselves at #13 in the AP and Harris polls and #15 in the USA Today coaches’ poll. (BCS standings will be released later today.)

Oregon, meanwhile, moved up to the #4 spot in the AP and USA Today polls and held at #5 in the Harris poll. USC still must face Arizona State, currently ranked sixth in the AP and coaches’ polls, plus unranked–but fairly good–Oregon State, California, and UCLA squads.

Here’s a look at the Pac-10 standings after yesterday’s action:

1. Arizona State (5-0)
2. Oregon (4-1)
2. UCLA (4-1)
4. USC (3-2)
4. Oregon State (3-2)
6. California (2-3)
7. Stanford (2-4)
7. Arizona (2-4)
9. Washington State (1-4)
10. Washington (0-5)

Note that Arizona State and Oregon will play each other on Saturday in Eugene, and that the Trojans have yet to play all of the teams above them or just below them in the standings (with the exception, of course, of the Ducks), giving USC some potential advantages in head-to-head tiebreakers should the Trojans win out.

At this point, the winner of this week’s Sun Devils-Ducks contest would seem to be the only Pac-10 team with a realistic chance of playing in the national title game. Should that happen, and should USC win their remaining games and finish second in the conference, the Trojans could theoretically be selected to play in the Rose Bowl game as a replacement for the Pac-10 school lost to the national championship game. Otherwise, the second-place Pac-10 team goes to the Holiday Bowl (Dec. 27 in San Diego) to play a Big-12 school, while the third place team also plays a Big-12 team in the Sun Bowl (Dec. 31 in El Paso). Finishing fourth in the conference earns a trip to either the Emerald Bowl (Dec. 28 in San Francisco) or the Dec. 22 Las Vegas Bowl (fifth place goes to one of those as well), while the sixth-place Pac-10 squad plays in the Armed Forces Bowl (Dec. 31 in Fort Worth).

Week 10 College Football Rankings (Yahoo!)