Pac-10 Poll

Three-time defending Pac-10 champion USC has been picked to win the 2006 Pacific-10 Conference football title in a preseason poll of West Coast media members who regularly cover the league. It marks the fourth consecutive year the Trojans have been the choice to win the title, but it differs from the last two years when USC was a unanimous pick to win the title. USC garnered 18 of 29 first-place votes in the poll, but CALIFORNIA, OREGON and ARIZONA STATE also received first-place support. USC has won the last three Pac-10 titles and has two National Championships and a national runner-up finish in the last three years. The Trojans fashioned a 12-1 mark last season, with the only loss coming in a classic battle against Texas in the BCS National Championship Game at the Rose Bowl. The media poll has correctly selected the Conference Champion in 23 of 45 previous polls, including the last six years in a row. Following are the results of the preseason media poll (points 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1, first-place votes in parentheses):

1. USC (18) 276
2. California (7) 247
3. Oregon (3) 229
4. Arizona State (1) 204
5. UCLA 145
6. Arizona 133
7. Oregon State 125
8. Washington State 96
9. Stanford 90
10. Washington 50

POLL NOTES: Preseason media poll has correctly picked the Conference champion 23 of 45 times and has been very accurate of late in correctly identifying the Conference champ the last six years in a row and six of the last seven. . . . While USC was a unanimous pick to win the Pac-10 the last two seasons, this year's poll with four team registering first-place votes is more typical. Prior to the last two years of unanimous support for the Trojans, at least four team received first-place votes in four of the previous five years. . . . USC topping the media poll for four straight years is the most for one institution since WASHINGTON was picked four straight years from 1990-93. The Huskies won the crown in three of those four years. . . . The rebuilding work of coach Mike Stoops at ARIZONA is being noted. Despite finishing no higher than eighth in the Conference standings the last five years, the media panel placed the Wildcats sixth in the poll. That is the highest UA has been picked in the poll since 1999, when the Cats were actually picked to win the league title coming off a 12-1 season in 1998.

PRESEASON PAC-10 FOOTBALL MEDIA POLL

Year Media Poll Pick Actual Finish Rose Bowl/BCS Representative Predicted Finish
1961 UCLA 1st UCLA 1st
1962 Washington 2nd USC 2nd
1963 USC 2nd Washington 2nd
1964 Washington 3rd Oregon State 6th
1965 USC 2nd UCLA 7th
1966 USC 1st USC 1st
1967 USC 1st USC 1st
1968 USC 1st USC 1st
1969 USC 1st USC 1st
1970 USC 6th Stanford 2nd
1971 USC 2nd Stanford 2nd
1972 USC 1st USC 1st
1973 USC 1st USC 1st
1974 USC 1st USC 1st
1975 USC 5th UCLA 3rd
1976 USC 1st USC 1st
1977 USC 2nd Washington 3rd
1978 USC 1st USC 1st
1979 USC 1st USC 1st
1980 USC 3rd Washington 3rd
1981 USC 2nd Washington 4th
1982 USC 3rd UCLA 3rd
1983 Arizona 5th UCLA 5th
1984 UCLA 3rd USC 3rd
1985 USC 4th UCLA 5th
1986 UCLA 2nd Arizona State 4th
1987 UCLA 2nd USC 4th
1988 UCLA 2nd USC 2nd
1989 USC 1st USC 1st
1990 Washington 1st Washington 1st

1991 Washington 1st Washington 1st

1992 Washington 1st Washington 1st

1993 Washington 4th UCLA 6th

1994 Arizona 2nd Oregon 8th

1995 USC 1st USC 1st

1996 USC 5th Arizona State 2nd

1997 Washington 4th Washington State 7th

1998 UCLA 1st UCLA 1st

1999 Arizona 6th Stanford 8th

2000 Washington 1st Washington 1st

2001 Oregon 1st Oregon 1st

2002 Washington St. 1st Washington State 1st

2003 USC 1st USC 1st

2004 USC 1st USC 1st

2005 USC 1st USC 1st

2006 USC

Media Poll has correctly selected the Conference Champion 23 of 45 times, including the last six years in a row.