SI Pac-12 Preseason Power Rankings: UCLA Secures Solid Top-4 Spot

The Fan Nation and Sports Illustrated publishers of the Pac-12 have come together to unveil their takes on the conference's hierarchy heading into the 2022 season.

UCLA football debuted at No. 4 in the preseason edition of the SI Pac-12 Power Rankings. There was not a consensus on the Bruins' current standing relative to their conference foes, but they were solidly in the top half of each outlet's ballot.

Cal Sports Report and Ducks Digest were the highest on UCLA, slotting them in at No. 3 behind only Utah and Oregon. All Cardinal, All Bruins and All Utes had the blue and gold at No. 4 – with USC ahead of them as well – while All Trojans and Husky Maven had them at No. 5 behind Oregon State and Washington, respectively.

Utah is the consensus No. 1 team heading into the year, fresh off an appearance in the Rose Bowl and three Pac-12 South titles in four years.

Here are the full preseason power rankings, as well as some brief thoughts from each of the publishers:

2022 PRESEASON SI PAC-12 FOOTBALL POWER RANKINGS

1. Utah, 84 points (7 first-place votes)

2. Oregon, 75 points

3. USC, 70 points

4. UCLA, 63 points

5. Oregon State, 54 points

6. Washington, 49 points

7. Washington State, 37 points

8. Stanford, 34 points

9. Cal, 30 points

10. Arizona State, 24 points

11. Arizona, 18 points

12. Colorado, 8 points

JAKE CURTIS, CAL SPORTS REPORT

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

Comment: I’m not buying into the USC hype until I see how all these new pieces fit together. Utah is by far the best team in the conference, but that says more about the Pac-12 than the Utes. Arizona will be bad again, but in this conference a marginal improvement can move a team up the ladder in a hurry. ASU? You can see the program falling apart from hundreds of miles away. Stanford has the best pro-prospect quarterback in the Pac-12 – and it won’t mean much.

MAX TORRES, DUCKS DIGEST

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

Comment: Utah should be the top dog in the Pac-12 until someone proves otherwise. I think Oregon can surprise some people this week and keep their game against Georgia competitive.

KEVIN BORBA, ALL CARDINAL

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

Comment: I expect these rankings to change a lot, especially when you consider the top two teams can lose Week 1. When it comes to Stanford, if they can improve in the trenches and stay healthy they have a chance to shock people.

SAM CONNON, ALL BRUINS

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

Comment: Until proven otherwise, Utah is far and away the team to beat out West this season. USC, Oregon and UCLA are in line to contend for the other spot in the conference title game, but each will have to overcome serious question marks to do so – for the Bruins, it will be about replacing elite offensive linemen and pass-catchers while improving the defense, while the Trojans and Ducks have to hit big on their new head coaches right away. Washington, Oregon State, Cal and Washington State could prove to be a decent middle of the pack, but the bottom tier is very, very weak in 2022.

BEN SHERMAN, ALL TROJANS

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

Comment: If Alex Grinch can get USC's defense turned around the Trojans could find themselves atop the Pac-12 once the dust settles. Mark your calendars now for USC at Utah on Oct. 15.

COLE BAGLEY, ALL UTES

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

Comment: The reigning Pac-12 Champs have set the standard and are easily the team to beat in 2022. After returning the vast majority of their starters from a year ago, the Utes could be in for a very special season.

DAN RALEY, HUSKY MAVEN

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

Comment: Washington was vastly overrated last season. This time, with a better coaching staff, the Huskies appear underrated.

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