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SALT LAKE CITY β The Pac-12 runs through Utah in 2022.
The reigning Pac-12 champions were tabbed as the favorite to win the conference in the preseason media poll that was released Thursday ahead of the conference's media day in Los Angeles. Utah, which has appeared in three of the last four Pac-12 championship games, received 26 of 33 first-place votes by the media as the preseason favorite.
It's only the second time in Pac-12 history that Utah was selected as the preseason favorite β the last was in 2019 β but it's the first year since divisions were scraped and all 12 teams compete for a top-two spot in the conference standings.
The expectations for the Utes this season resemble, in some part, the 2019 season, in which Utah returned nearly its entire roster and the team rolled through the schedule before falling to Oregon in the conference championship game, ending Utah's College Football Playoff dreams.
Coming into the 2022 season, Utah is considered a playoff contender and an expected preseason top-10 team, with quarterback Cameron Rising leading the way of an offense that returns nearly everybody from last season. A Week 1 matchup in Gainsville, Florida, against the Gators will be a strong predictor of how good Utah can be this season.
Utah is followed in the preseason poll by Oregon at the No. 2 spot. The Ducks received only two first-place votes but finished with the second-most points in the poll.
Also receiving first-place votes this year was USC with five, a year removed from a 4-8 season of turmoil and the firing of head coach Clay Helton.
Newly hired coach Lincoln Riley has brought a renewed optimism (and talent) to the program and has many believing the Trojans can be the powerhouse program it has historically been β two years away from the program's eventual move to the Big Ten. But for the time being, USC has to go through the defending champions.
UCLA checks in at No. 4 in the poll, followed by Oregon State, Washington, Washington State, Stanford, California, Arizona State, Arizona and Colorado.

All-Pac-12 preseason team
On Tuesday, the Pac-12 released its preseason All-Pac-12 team, and Utah and USC led the conference with six first-team selections each.
For Utah, running back Tavion Thomas, tight end Brant Kuithe, offensive lineman Braeden Daniels, defensive lineman Van Fillinger, cornerback Clark Phillips III and safety Cole Bishop were named to the first team. An additional three Utah players β quarterback Cameron Rising, offensive lineman Sataoa Laumea and defensive lineman Junior Tafuna were named to the second team.
The Trojans cleaned up on the offensive side of the ball with four of its six first-team players on offense, including quarterback Caleb Williams. The Oklahoma transfer is one of three players on offense that transferred to USC in the offseason β the other two are former Oklahoma wide receiver Mario Williams and former Pittsburgh wide receiver Jordan Addison.
A full list of the first- and second-team selections can be viewed here.
Here's your All-Pac-12 Preseason Team pic.twitter.com/z4J7hTNpfG
— Josh Furlong (@JFurKSL) July 26, 2022
