Oregon Edges USC For Top Spot in Our Preseason SI Pac-12 Power Rankings

Cal lands in seventh spot in voting by six SI sites that cover the Pac-12 Conference

We unveil a new feature on Cal Sports Report today, the SI Pac-12 Football Power Rankings.

Collaborating with SI team sites covering five other Pac-12 schools, we present our preseason rankings, which we will update each week throughout the season.

Our initial balloting couldn’t be much closer: Oregon edged USC for the top spot, collecting 68 total votes to 67 for the Trojans. The Ducks earned four of six first-place votes, although our Jake Curtis gave his top spot to Utah.

The Ducks feature the Pac-12's best player in defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux while the Trojans are led by Kedon Slovis, the league's most established quarterback. The two are pictured in the cover photo during the 2020 Pac-12 championship game.

Cal wound up firmly in the seventh position in our rankings, trailing UCLA but ahead of rival Stanford.

While four voters put Oregon on top, two others ranked the Ducks just third. USC, meanwhile, secured only one first-place vote but was No. 2 on every other ballot.

Washington, with one second-place vote and four third-place ballots, wound up third, ahead of Utah and Arizona State.

Besides ourselves, voters hail from SI.com sites covering Arizona State, Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington.

Stay tuned as we join forces with our Pac-12 brethren from the SI network on other features going forward this season.

SI PAC-12 FOOTBALL PRESEASON POWER RANKINGS

1. Oregon (4) 68 points

2. USC (1) 67

3. Washington 59

4. Utah (1) 53

5. Arizona State 51

6. UCLA 40

7. Cal 35

8. Stanford 30

9. Colorado 26

10. Oregon State 17

11. Washington State 14

12. Arizona 8

DONNIE DRUIN, ALL SUN DEVILS

1. Oregon; 2. USC; 3. Washington; 4. Arizona State; 5. Utah; 6. UCLA; 7. Cal; 8. Colorado; 9. Stanford; 10. Oregon State; 11. Washington State; 12. Arizona

Comment: The Pac-12 are the only conference to not have an odds-on favorite to bring home the title heading into the season, showcasing just how wide open the conference is. Heavyweights such as Oregon/USC/Washington are a must in any preseason top three, while programs such as Arizona State and Utah have the ability to make a push for a conference title as well. Watch out for teams such as UCLA and Colorado as sneaky dark horse teams as well.

JAKE CURTIS, CAL SPORTS REPORT

1. Utah; 2. USC; 3. Oregon; 4. Arizona State; 5. Washington; 6. Cal; 7. UCLA; 8. Stanford; 9. Washington State; 10. Colorado; 11. Oregon State; 12. Arizona.

Comment: Utah has the best defense in the conference, and should be more than adequate at quarterback, whether it’s Charlie Brewer or Cam Rising. That’s enough in a conference where no team is dominant. USC has the best quarterback (Kedon Slovis) and a favorable conference schedule, which gives the Trojans an edge over Oregon. The only certainty in the Pac-12 is that Arizona is the worst team.

MAX TORRES, DUCKS DIGEST

1. Oregon; 2. USC; 3. Washington; 4. Arizona State; 5. Utah; 6. UCLA; 7. Cal; 8. Stanford; 9. Colorado; 10. Oregon State; 11. Washington State; 12. Arizona.

Comment: The top and bottom three of these rankings probably won't surprise many, as Oregon's effort on the recruiting trail is really starting to pay off in sharpening the on-field product. The No. 10 spot is interesting with Oregon State since the Beavers beat Oregon last season and have brought in some really talented transfers. I think UCLA is probably the team I could see breaking into the top quarter of the rankings, and I gave Utah the edge because Whittingham is a solid coach. The Bruins only went 3-4 last season, but they lost a lot of close games and have a strong quarterback in Dorian Thompson-Robinson returning to lead the way.

SAM CONNON, ALL BRUINS

1. Oregon; 2. USC; 3. Washington; 4. Utah; 5. UCLA; 6. Stanford; 7. Arizona State; 8. California; 9. Colorado; 10. Oregon State; 11. Arizona;

12. Washington State.

Comment: I know I'm probably lower on Arizona State than most people, but I stand by it. The Sun Devils' two wins last season came against teams that went a combined 2-10, so a lot of the so-called momentum they picked up at the end of last year seems inflated. Jayden Daniels also regressed in every major statistical passing category. Overall, they aren't bad, they just need to prove themselves a lot more to warrant any kind of praise in 2021.

CLAUDETTE MONTANA PATTISON, ALL TROJANS

1. Oregon; 2. USC; 3. Washington; 4. Arizona State; 5. Utah; 6. Colorado; 7. UCLA; 8. Stanford; 9. Cal; 10. Washington State; 11. Arizona; 12. Oregon State.

Comment: I believe it's fair to predict that Oregon, USC and Washington will finish atop the Pac-12 conference this year with a possible USC vs. Oregon Pac-12 Championship rematch. Arizona State, Utah, UCLA and Colorado are also four teams that I anticipate being highly competitive this season.

DAN RALEY, HUSKY MAVEN

1. USC; 2. Washington; 3. Oregon; 4. Arizona State; 5. Utah; 6. California; 7. UCLA; 8. Oregon State; 9. Stanford; 10. Colorado; 11. Washington State; 12. Arizona

Comment: In these uncertain times of realignment, alliance and playoff expansion, USC should be the Pac-12 favorite every year, with 2021 no exception. This would be the best way for the conference to protect itself from dilution, sell itself some sort of Big Ten and ACC consolidation and become playoff relevant. Around the league, each of the top contenders have proven quarterbacks to lead them.

Cover photo of Oregon's Kayvon Thibodeaux pressuring USC's Kedon Slovis by Kirby Lee, USA Today

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo