LOS ANGELES — Rich Rodriguez’s first team at Arizona has been projected to finish fourth in the Pac-12 South in a media poll announced this morning at the league’s media day.
Sounds about right, since that is where I predicted Arizona to finish.
What is a bit more surprising — OK, a lot more surprising — is that Arizona State received three of the 123 votes for Pac-12 champion. (Not even some folks here who cover ASU can explain those votes.) The Devils, coming off a 6-6 season and under new coach Todd Graham, ranked fifth in the Pac-12 South in the media poll, despite the spattering of first-place votes.
USC was the overwhelming choice for overall Pac-12 champion, receiving 102 votes. Oregon had 18, with ASU garnering the other three.
Here is the breakdown by division, with first-place division votes in parentheses, followed by total points:
NORTH DIVISION
1. Oregon (117) 732
2. Stanford (5) 533
3. Washington 502
4. California (1) 382
5. Washington State 228
6. Oregon State 205
SOUTH DIVISION
1. USC (117) 729
2. Utah (1) 514
3. UCLA (2) 435
4. Arizona 385
5. Arizona State (3) 353
6. Colorado 164
Later today, Rodriguez, senior quarterback Matt Scott and junior linebacker Jake Fischer will go through waves of interviews for TV, radio, print and internet outlets.