USC picked to win Pac-12 football title

The Trojans received 21 first-place votes, while Oregon collected 17.

USC was chosen as the favorite to win the 2015 Pac-12 Conference football title in a preseason poll vote of 45 media members.

UCLA is picked to finish third in the South Division behind USC and Arizona State. Arizona, which won the South last year, is picked fourth. Defending league champ Oregon, picked to win the North Division, received 17 votes. That trio was following in the voting by Arizona, Utah and Colorado. Since the conference expanded to 12 teams in 2011, the Ducks have been the media’s pick to win the North each year.

BURBANK, Calif. – Oregon State defensive back Larry Scott was there in Reser Stadium August. 31, 2013, when Eastern Washington quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. blitzed the then-top-25-ranked Beavers for an upset victory. “But as a whole, the Pac-12 is incredibly competitive”, UCLA coach Jim Mora said Thursday.

(Writer’s note: I have no idea why the number of votes for Pac-12 champion totals 44, while the votes for divisional champions totals 45.).

Also, the preseason top-25 coaches’ poll was published Thursday by USA Today, with Oregon coming in at No. 5 after reaching last season’s College Football Playoff National Championship.