Washington Huskies Football: UW Picked Fourth In Pac-12 North At Media Day
By Evan Webeck
As Pac-12 Media Day gets underway Friday morning, the release of the preseason media poll kicks off the event. The Oregon Ducks were picked to win the Pac-12 North and defeat the UCLA Bruins for the Pac-12 Championship and a trip to the Rose Bowl. The Washington Huskies received 85 points and were picked to finish fourth, behind Oregon State in the Pac-12 North.
Here is a breakdown of the poll (first place votes in parentheses):
North
1. Oregon (15) – 145
2. Stanford (11) – 139
3. Oregon State – 95
4. Washington – 84
5. California – 47
6. Washington State – 33
South
1. UCLA (12) – 135
2. Arizona State (10) – 130
3. USC (4) – 117
4. Arizona – 76
5. Utah – 60
6. Colorado – 28
It’s no surprise to see Oregon and Stanford at the top of the Pac-12 North, nor is it a shock to see that voters have UCLA, ASU and USC battling it out for the South title. This almost confirms the thought that the Huskies aren’t being looked at seriously this season. Despite loads of returning talent and one of the best coaching staffs in the conference, voters still believe they’ll finish behind Oregon State and not particularly close to the top dogs.
While the preseason media poll is mostly just a rehash of last season’s final standing, it has correctly predicted the Pac-12 champion in eight of the past ten seasons. Luckily for the Huskies, the preseason poll doesn’t determine the final standings; that’s done on the new turf at Husky Stadium.