Debuting the Sports Illustrated 2021 Pac-12 Rankings
The season is almost here and we're just itching for the action to get started. I teamed up with the rest of the Sports Illustrated publishers within the Pac-12 to bring you our first Pac-12 poll.
You'll see where each school falls, as well as how many first place votes they received and my blurb on the reasoning behind my rankings.
For context, Sports Illustrated has six Pac-12 publishers. Including myself covering Oregon with Ducks Digest, there are team sites for Arizona State, Cal, UCLA, USC and Washington.
You see some similarities between our rankings and that of the AP Top 25, but also some deviation that is sure to drum up some fun discussion.
Share your thoughts with me on Twitter: @mtorressports
Sports Illustrated Pac-12 Rankings (8/23/21)
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
Max Torres' Pac-12 Rankings
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
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 that has been able to squeeze the most out of his roster each year. 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.
More from Ducks Digest
Torres' Take: What's next for Oregon on the recruiting trail after landing Jalil Tucker?
Devon Jackson planning Oregon official visit
Cristobal says team is "close" to QB decision
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