The USA Today preseason Top 25 coaches poll was released on Thursday, with the Oregon Ducks sitting in fifth place.
Not a surprise, and fifth -- behind LSU, Alabama, Southern California and Oklahoma -- feels about right for the Ducks heading into the season.
Perhaps somewhat surprising, however, was the fact that Oregon didn't receive a single first-place vote in the poll. The bulk of those went to the Tigers (18), the Crimson Tide (20) and the Trojans (19). Oklahoma and seventh-place Florida State received the other two.
Thing is, the Ducks appear to have a steep hill to climb if they're going to get into the national championship discussion this season. Recent history is on Oregon's side, with the Ducks entering 2012 as the only team in the nation to have played in three consecutive BCS bowl games, and coming off a Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin.
But they lost star running back LaMichael James to the NFL and will have a new starting quarterback -- Marcus Mariota or Bryan Bennett -- taking snaps this fall, after Darron Thomas left a year early.
Still, Oregon's high-powered offense, impressive talent and depth, and huge defensive improvements from last season surely warrant a first-place vote from at least one coach, don't they?
Here's a look at the full USA Today Top 25 poll:
USA Today Coaches Poll
2012 Preseason Poll
(First-place votes in parentheses)
1. LSU (18) 1,403
2. Alabama (20) 1,399
3. Southern California (19) 1,388
4. Oklahoma (1) 1,276
5. Oregon 1,258
6. Georgia 1,061
7. Florida State (1) 1,055
8. Michigan 1,023
9. South Carolina 981
10. Arkansas 948
11. West Virginia 833
12. Wisconsin 743
13. Michigan State 717
14. Clemson 598
15. Texas 549
16. Nebraska 501
17. TCU 499
18. Stanford 497
19. Oklahoma State 476
20. Virginia Tech 461
21. Kansas State 398
22. Boise State 271
23. Florida 250
24. Notre Dame 166
25. Auburn 66
Also receiving votes -- Washington 64; Louisville 46; Georgia Tech 35; Cincinnati 32; Texas A&M 28; Baylor 23; Utah 22; Mississippi State 21; South Florida 12; N.C. State 11; BYU 10; Louisiana Tech 10; Virginia 9; Houston 7; Southern Mississippi 6; Central Florida 5; Rutgers 5; Florida International 3; Missouri 3; Tennessee 3; Northern Illinois 2; Texas Tech 1.
Source:
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Adam Sparks has been following Oregon Ducks football since 1990, and has written about the team as a freelancer since 2009.
