UCLA and USC will both begin the season ranked near the top of the Associated Press top-25 poll.
Released Sunday morning, USC opens at No. 8 in the poll, its highest ranking since it was the preseason No. 1 team in 2012. That year, the Trojans eventually finished 7-6, becoming the first AP preseason No. 1 to finish unranked since Ole Miss in 1964.
UCLA is at No. 13 in this season's preseason poll, the second highest ranking for the Bruins since 1999. Last year, led by decorated quarterback Brett Hundley, they started at No. 7 and finished 10-3, ranked No.