Pac-12: First USA Today Amway Coaches Poll, the good and bad
USA Today released its first Amway Coaches Poll on Thursday. The Pac-12 fared about the same as usual. Here is the good and bad of the results.
Thursday afternoon USA Today released its first college football Amway Top 25 Coaches Poll. As far as the Pac-12 is concerned, there are some good and bad things about the rankings to go over.
Good – Pac-12 teams represented
The Pac-12 Conference place three teams in the Top 25. Ninth-ranked Oregon (1,164 points) leads the way. Next is number 17 Southern California (521), followed by Utah (241) at 20.
Bad – Pac-12 teams not represented well
No one is under the illusion that any current Pac-12 programs are at the same level as LSU, Clemson, Alabama, or Ohio State. Still, the best this conference could muster was three ranked teams. The American Athletic Conference put two teams, Central Florida and Cincinnati, in the Top 25.
Good – More Pac-12 teams got votes
Another five conference teams received votes from the coaches. If there were a 30th place, it would belong to Arizona State (88). Local teams Washington (65) and Washington State (6) were next, then came California (5), and Stanford (2).
Bad – That’s it?
A Power-5 Conference has to be better than five teams out of the first 40. No offense to the last three squads, they can be proud to be mentioned but don’t start a celebration yet.
Good – Room to grow
The SEC, which has three of the top five teams and five out of eleven, has topped out. The Pac-12 should see recent poll voting trends as a wake-up call. There is only one way to go, up. To remain with the elite, they have to start playing like the elite.
Bad – No chance to prove it on the field
One aspect of college football polls is that it’s tough to climb to the top unless another team fails. Any chance Pac-12 teams had to prove it on the field and show voters they belong, went out the window with the move to a conference-only schedule. Due to the pandemic, Southern Cal vs. Alabama, Michigan at Washington, and Ohio State at Oregon, all scheduled in the first two weeks of the season, were canceled.
How well do you think the Pac-12 was represented in the first coaches poll? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.