STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford was picked to finish second in the Pac-12 North Division, as announced Wednesday.
USC was chosen the favorite to win the Pac-12 football title in a vote of 52 media members who cover Pac-12 football. The Trojans received 28 votes to earn the preseason favorite pick over defending Pac-12 champion Washington, which received 22 votes. Both the Trojans and Huskies garnered 49 first-place votes to hold down the top spots in their respective divisions.
Stanford firmly held the second spot in the North Division after collecting one first-place vote. Washington State and Oregon picked up the two remaining first-place votes in the North Division.
The media has correctly selected the conference champion in 29 of 56 previous polls, but only twice in the last 10 polls.
The Pac-12 Football Championship Game will take place Dec. 1 and will be telecast to a national audience on ESPN. The championship game will match the winner of the North Division against the winner of the South Division at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Last season, Stanford extended a school-record with its eighth straight bowl appearance, the longest streak in the Pac-12. The Cardinal then capped its sixth 10-win season in the last seven years with a 25-23 win over North Carolina in the Sun Bowl. It marked the fourth bowl victory for head coach
David Shaw, the most in program history.
Stanford begins preseason practice July 31 and opens the season Aug. 26 against Rice in Sydney, Australia.
Pac-12 Preseason Poll
North Division
1. Washington (49)
2. Stanford (1)
3. Washington State (1)
4. Oregon (1)
5. Oregon State
6. California
South Division
1. USC (49)
2. Utah (1)
3. UCLA (1)
4. Colorado (1)
5. Arizona State
6. Arizona
First-place votes in parentheses
