The Pac-12 preseason media poll was released yesterday, and Oregon was picked to win it all, as well as picked to take the North division. Last season, Oregon was picked first also, but the Ducks couldn't win their own division, losing 26-20 in Palo Alto.
Below, we tackle the question of where each team will fall during the season. Do we agree with the rest of the Pac-12 media? Find out here:
Pac-12 Media Poll | Steven | Jon | Alex |
Oregon | Stanford | Oregon | Oregon |
Stanford | Oregon | Stanford | Washington |
Washington | Oregon State | Oregon State | Stanford |
Oregon State | Washington | Washington State | Oregon State |
Washington State | Washington State | Washington | Washington State |
Cal | Cal | Cal | Cal |
Jon and Alex agree with the rest of the Pac-12 media that Oregon is the team to beat in the North division. I think the Pac-12 North title still goes through Palo Alto, and I don't see any reason they can't continue their run. Alex thinks the Cardinal actually take a big step backward, jumping the Cardinal with new Washington head coach Chris Peterson's Huskies. (Alex might be showing a little of his UW love here, placing Peterson, a first-time Power 5 conference coach, so high in the conference standings.)
Alex also agrees with the Pac-12 media about the Oregon State Beavers, dropping them to fourth in his poll, while Jon and I think more highly of Mike Riley's squad, elevating them to the number three spot in the North.
Washington State didn't rate higher than fourth by Jon, fifth by both Alex and I. While the Air Raid offense can be potent at time, the Cougars to the North must prove they can stop someone.
However, we, along with the rest of the conference media think Cal head coach Sonny Dykes is not going to climb out of the cellar this year. Dykes could make a case for coach of the year by just climbing into the middle of the North race (not that it's likely). The real danger is that Dykes might not see his Golden Bears climb above sixth in his third year, which would really make the final games of 2015 interesting for him.
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