Pac-12 preseason poll: Stanford dead last, Cal not far ahead; both have first-team honoree
Pac-12 media members don’t have high hopes for the Bay Area schools this fall.
Stanford was picked to finish last in the conference this football season, while Cal was selected ninth in the 12-school conference.
Both teams are projected to finish one spot lower than they did last year: Stanford was 11th at 3-9 (1-8 in the Pac-12), while Cal went 4-8 (2-7). Stanford head coach David Shaw abruptly stepped down following his 12th season, and the Cardinal replaced him with former Cal quarterback Troy Taylor, who recently elevated Sacramento State to great heights at the FCS level.
USC was picked by media members to win the Pac-12 in its final year with the league, while fellow future Big Ten member UCLA was picked sixth. The Trojans received 25 first-place votes, followed by two-time defending champion Utah (6), Washington (4) and Oregon (1).
The Bears and Cardinal each have one player on the preseason all-Pac-12 first team. Senior linebacker Jackson Sirmon represents Cal while senior kicker Joshua Karty is Stanford’s representative.
Sirmon led the Bears with 104 tackles last season, good for third in the Pac-12, after transferring from Washington to play under his father, defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon.
Karty, like Sirmon, was a first-team all-conference performer last year. He was a Lou Groza Award finalist after making all 24 of his point-after attempts and all 18 of his field-goal attempts, including a 61-yarder as time expired in the Big Game to make the final a 27-20 Cal win.
Cal running back Jaydn Ott and defensive back Craig Woodson made the preseason second team along with Stanford tight end Benjamin Yurosek.