Earlier this month, Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks were gifted a great big bulletin board of material going into the 2023 season when they were picked to finish fourth in the Pac-12 preseason media poll.
While there is a wealth of talent at the top of the league with the USC Trojans, Washington Huskies and Utah Utes vying for a spot in the Pac-12 Championship game, the Ducks should feel extremely confident they can end up in Las Vegas at the end of the year with a shot to get into the College Football Playoff. With quarterback Bo Nix hoping for a Heisman-worthy season, an experienced and improved offense, and a defense that is expected to be leagues better than it was a year ago, many think that Oregon could be in play for a special season.
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Regardless of all that, the media poll doesn’t show the same level of confidence in the Ducks.
I wanted to take a look back through the archives and see how accurate the Pac-12 preseason media poll usually is. Every year it projects what the final rankings will be, but how often does it actually get things right?
Let’s take a look.