The Trojans’ rainy night in Berkeley wasn’t for nothing; the team’s 24-17 victory over the Bears sent USC moving upward in the major polls and the Pac-10 standings. USC rose from 12 to 11 in this week’s AP poll, from 15 to 13 in the USA Today coaches’ poll, and from 14 to 13 in the Harris poll. The Trojans also jumped six spots in the BCS standings, from 17 to 11.

Saturday’s win also leaves the Trojans alone at third place in the Pac-10, behind Arizona State and Oregon. The Trojans, of course, already lost to the Ducks, who now appear on track to play in the national title game after rising to #2 in all three polls and the BCS standings on Sunday.  And USC’s next game is against the Sun Devils, who are at #9 in the AP and at #8 in the other two human polls. If the Trojans can defeat ASU and UCLA, and if Oregon wins their remaining three games, USC will finish the season 10-2 and at second place in the Pac-10–making them an attractive at-large target for a BCS bowl game, including the Rose Bowl, which would lose the Pac-10 champion Ducks to the BCS championship game under such a scenario.

Week 12 college football rankings (Fox Sports)