Preseason AP Top 25: Three Pac-12 teams land in first college football rankings of 2022
The first media poll for the 2022 college football season is out and, as expected, the Pac-12 has three teams in the top 25—Utah, Oregon, and USC.
The preseason AP Top 25 was officially released on Monday. Utah checked in at No. 7, with Oregon at No. 11 and USC at No. 14. Alabama, Ohio State, and Georgia led the way, with Clemson landing at No. 4.
For the Utes, it’s the highest preseason ranking in the program’s history. Utah opened the 2019 season at No. 14 in the AP poll. That campaign ended with 11 wins and just three losses. The Utes peaked at No. 5 in the media poll before dropping their last two games. Utah opens its season on the road against the Florida Gators on Sept. 3.
The Ducks will open the year ranked for the 13th time in the last 14 years. It also marks three times in the last four years Oregon has opened just outside the top 10. Dan Lanning’s debut season will begin on Sept. 3 against the third-ranked Georgia Bulldogs in Atlanta.
In spite of a losing record in 2021—only the second this century for USC—the Trojans made it 19 preseason AP poll appearances in the last 20 years with their highest preseason ranking since 2017. Lincoln Riley’s arrival in Los Angeles, along with a slew of transfer talent, has expectations high for USC. But they always are. USC begins its season at home against Rice on Sept. 3.
The full AP Top 25 can be seen below:
- Alabama (54 first-place votes)
- Ohio State (6)
- Georgia (3)
- Clemson
- Notre Dame
- Texas A&M
- Utah
- Michigan
- Oklahoma
- Baylor
- Oregon
- Oklahoma State
- NC State
- USC
- Michigan State
- Miami
- Pittsburgh
- Wisconsin
- Arkansas
- Kentucky
- Ole Miss
- Wake Forest
- Cincinnati
- Houston
- BYU
