Arizona State picked to finish third in Pac-12 preseason media poll
Jul 23, 2014, 3:18 PM | Updated: 8:18 pm
The Arizona State Sun Devils, the defending Pac-12 South champions, have been picked to finish third in the division in the preseason poll released Wednesday at the conference’s media days in Los Angeles.
UCLA is the overwhelming favorite to win the South, receiving 37 of 39 first-place votes. USC and Arizona State each received one first-place nod.
In the North, Oregon is the favorite as the Ducks grabbed 37 first-place votes with the other two going to defending conference champ Stanford.
The Sun Devils return the trio of quarterback Taylor Kelly, running back D.J. Foster and wide receiver Jaelen Strong on offense, but must replace nine starters on the defensive side of the ball.
Last season, head coach Todd Graham’s second in Tempe, saw ASU go 8-1 in regular-season conference play before falling to Stanford in the Pac-12 Championship Game at Sun Devil Stadium. They would go on to lose to Texas Tech in the Holiday Bowl.
The Devils finished the season 10-4 and were ranked 21st in the season-ending AP Top 25.
Pac-12 South
| Place | Team (First place votes) | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | UCLA Bruins (37) | 231 |
| 2. | USC Trojans (1) | 181 |
| 3. | Arizona State Sun Devils (1) | 163 |
| 4. | Arizona Wildcats | 119 |
| 5. | Utah Utes | 82 |
| 6. | Colorado Buffaloes | 43 |
Pac-12 North
| Place | Team (First place votes) | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Oregon Ducks (37) | 232 |
| 2. | Stanford Cardinal (2) | 192 |
| 3. | Washington Huskies | 142 |
| 4. | Oregon State Beavers | 125 |
| 5. | Washington State Cougars | 87 |
| 6. | California Golden Bears | 41 |
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