College Football: 5 surprises from 2016 AP Preseason Poll
By John Buhler
2. UCLA is in the teens.
The UCLA Bruins should be a strong team this season. In all likelihood, they and the Utah Utes are probably the two teams vying for a Pac-12 South division title to play either the Stanford Cardinal, the Oregon Ducks, or the Washington Huskies in the Pac-12 Championship Game in Santa Clara.
Though the Pac-12 is probably the deepest conference in the Power 5 with only two bad teams (sorry, Colorado and Oregon State), not even Stanford feels like a lock to make the College Football Playoff by winning the Pac-12.
The Bruins do have the best pro prospect in college football in true sophomore quarterback Josh Rosen, but their No. 16 ranking in the first AP Poll feels a bit high. A few teams below them are more likely to win 10 games this season than the Bruins.
There is almost no way that the No. 17 Iowa Hawkeyes don’t win 10+ games again with their soft schedule. No. 18 Georgia has a favorable schedule late in the season. No. 19 Louisville might only lose twice to Atlantic Division rivals Clemson and Florida State.
With the brutal schedules that Pac-12 teams face annually with nine conference games and a mandatory Power 5 opponent in the non-conference, are we sure that the Bruins will win 10+ games this fall? Their No. 16 ranking is understandable, but the late teens or early 20s might be where they belong to start the season.
Next: 1. Baylor gets the benefit of the doubt.