For the first time in eight years, a school other than USC was picked to win the Pac-10. Oregon snagged the top spot in the media poll by a small margin on Thursday at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles.
Oregon wasn’t first by much. The defending Pac-10 champions garnered 15 first-place votes, just ahead of USC’s 12 first-place votes. Oregon State, Arizona, Stanford, Washington and UCLA all received at least one first-place vote, reflecting the consensus that the Pac-10 is wide open this year.
While most tabbed Oregon as the favorite, Oregon head football coach Chip Kelly was skeptical about the accuracy of such polls.
“Last year you picked us third and Arizona eighth and we finished first and second,” Kelly said. “I learned from last year’s poll that we probably weren’t going to put a lot of stock in it. Preseason rankings don’t mean anything to us.”
USC finished second, while Oregon State, Arizona, Stanford, Washington, Cal, UCLA, Arizona State and Washington State rounded out the poll, in order.
The media poll has been correct in predicting the conference champion nine out of the past 10 years, with last year’s poll erroneously picking USC when Oregon was the champion. Overall, the poll has correctly picked 26 out of 49 champions.
Thirty-five members of the West Coast media ranked every Pac-10 school from one to 10, with 10 points being awarded for a first-place vote, nine for a second, etc.
“I think anytime you can get your name out there in a positive light, people get to know a little bit more about the University of Oregon,” Kelly said to pac-10.org. “Whether it’s because the conference is promoting you or we’re promoting ourselves, it helps.”
Kelly and senior defensive tackle Brandon Bair represented the Ducks in Los Angeles for Pac-10 media day, and Kelly seemed excited for the season.
“We were the number one defense in the conference, we were the number one offense in the conference, and most of those players will be back,” Kelly said to pac-10.org.
Bair said the Ducks aren’t just aiming for a return Rose Bowl trip; they want a national championship.
“If we can be the best that we can, the Rose Bowl is the worst that can happen to us,” Bair said.
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