AP Preseason Poll Gives Pac-12 More Respect Than Coaches Poll Did

The Associated Press preseason media college football poll was released on Monday, and it gave the Pac-12 a little more respect than the preseason coaches poll did.

Like the coaches’ poll, the AP preseason poll had three Pac-12 schools in its top 2, but each was a notch higher in the media top 25.

Utah, which was eighth in the coaches poll, comes in at No. 7 in the AP poll and is again the highest ranked Pac-12 school. Oregon, which was 12th in the coaches poll, is No. 11, according to the media. And USC, which was ranked 15th by the coaches, is 14th in the AP rankings.

Alabama is the AP preseason No. 1 team by a sizable margin, with Ohio State second and defending national champion Georgia third.

Cal faces three of the top 15 teams in the AP poll this season. It takes on fifth-ranked Notre Dame on the road on September 17, and faces Oregon and USC in consecutive weeks. The Bears host the Ducks on October 25, and face the Trojans in Los Angeles on November 5.

The Golden Bears do not play Utah this season.

The most interesting team in the top 25 may be USC, because there are different opinions about how they will fair in 2022, which is the Trojans next-to-last season in the Pac-12 before moving on to the Big Ten. New head coach Lincoln Riley has amassed a lot of talent, but much of that talent is new to the program, so it’s difficult to predict how they will do in their first season together. The Trojans have brought in 19 transfers, most of whom are expected to have an immediate impact.

Cal was not among the 47 teams that received votes in the AP poll, and UCLA, which got two voting points, was the only other Pac-12 team that received votes in the media poll.

Here is the AP preseason top 25 (with first-place votes in parentheses).

1. Alabama (54)

2. Ohio State (6)

3. Georgia (3)

4. Clemson

5. Notre Dame

6. Texas A&M

7. Utah

8. Michigan

9. Oklahoma

10. Baylor

11. Oregon

12. Oklahoma State

13. North Carolina State

14. USC

15. Michigan State

16. Miami

17. Pittsburgh

18. Wisconsin

19. Arkansas

20. Kentucky

21. Mississippi

22. Wake Forest

23. Cincinnati

24. Houston

25. BYU

Others receiving votes:

Tennessee 180, Texas 164, Iowa 163, Penn State 160, LSU 55, Fresno State 32, Minnesota 31, UCF 27, Purdue 17, Mississippi State 15, Auburn 15, Florida 14, Kansas State 14, North Carolina 9, Boise State 5, Air Force 4, Appalachian State 4, South Carolina 2, UCLA 2, San Diego State 2, Utah State 2, Nebraska 1

Cover photo of Utah tight end Brant Kuithe by Rob Gray, USA TODAY Sports

Follow Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53

Find Cal Sports Report on Facebook by going to https://www.facebook.com/si.calsportsreport