Pac-12 Media Poll: Utah Picked to Finish in 3rd in South Division

Despite winning back-to-back Pac-12 South Division titles over the past two years, Utah was picked to finish third in the South Division in the preseason media poll; Oregon picked as favorites

According to the preseason Pac-12 media poll released on Wednesday morning, Utah is expected to come up woefully short in its bid to win a third consecutive South Division title. 

The Utes were picked to finish third in the division, a far cry behind the presumed favorite USC and darkhorse candidate Arizona State. The Trojans racked up 32 first-place votes, the Sun Devils with two and the Utes with four.

In the North, Oregon was chosen as the overwhelming favorite with 35 first-place votes. Cal, who was picked to finish second, took the final three first-place votes.

In the Pac-12 South, @USC_FB was the overwhelming pick to capture the division and compete in the #Pac12FCG 👇#Pac12FB pic.twitter.com/BC0tk7Hy37

— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) October 7, 2020

Utah is set to begin the 2020 season with a lot to figure out on its roster, the primary reason for being chosen to finish third in the division. 

The Utes must replace nine defensive starters from last year's division-winning team, as well as two of the best position players in program history in quarterback Tyler Huntley and running back Zack Moss.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Utes are expecting to fill those departures with members of the 2020 recruiting class, which finished 29th in the country. 

Returning starters are linebacker Devin Lloyd and defensive end Mika Tafua, two of the premier defensive players in the conference. Meanwhile Clark Phillips, a four-star cornerback, and four-star defensive ends Van Fillinger and Xavier Carlton are expected to step into production roles immediately. 

Offensively, the expectation is that South Carolina graduate transfer Jake Bentley will take over for Huntley. However, replacing Moss will be difficult as the Utes are expected to take a committee approach between Devin Brumfield, Jordan Wilmore and T.J. Green.

Giving Utah hope for a potential three-peat is that the strengths of its offense reside in the offensive line and wide receivers, two positions that will help break in a new quarterback and running backs. 

The Utes also have one of the top coaching staffs in the nation, especially in defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley — so there's reasonable expectations that the defense will stay atop the Pac-12's bests.

Oregon is barely favored over USC to win the conference championship.

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