Cal predicted to finish 9th in 2022 by Pac-12 media

Nobody believes in Cal! Again!

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The California Golden Bears are not coming into 2022 with any high expectations. Cal was picked 9th by the media in the Pac-12 Media Day preseason poll.

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The Utah Utes are the overwhelming favorites to repeat as Pac-12 champions, garnering 26 first-place votes. USC gathered five, more than Oregon (two), but the Ducks did seem to gather more second-place votes and outpaced the Trojans. With both schools breaking in new coaches and grabbing tons of top talent from the portal a lot is up in the air.

Trailing USC is their Big Ten counterpart UCLA, fresh off their best campaign of the Chip Kelly era. Then comes a surprise face in Oregon State, as the Beavers come off their first winning season since 2013. Washington and Washington State, both breaking in new head coaches, round out the middle of what figures to be a Pac-12 North in transition.

After a disappointing season, there isn’t much for the Bears to quibble with, particularly after losing the majority of their offensive production. Except for one thing: Cal is ranked behind Stanford, a team that has not won a college football game since October. Stanford at 8th is hardly a love affair, but the Cardinal haven’t really shown any signs of drastic improvement since the last time.

The exodus of talent at Arizona State has them burning down to the cellar, along with Arizona and Colorado.

Below are the full 2022 preseason rankings.

1. Utah

2. Oregon

3. USC

4. UCLA

5. Oregon State

6. Washington

7. Washington State

8. Stanford

9. Cal

10. Arizona State

11. Arizona

12. Colorado