Oklahoma tops the AP Football Preseason Top 25 Poll released this morning, ahead of #2 Alabama, just as they did earlier this month in the USA Today Coaches' Poll. Oregon is ranked 3rd., one spot ahead of LSU, their opponent in the season opening Cowboy Stadium Classic in Dallas.
Boise St. is 5th., and will climb past the loser of the Ducks and Tigers' contest if they win their opener in the Georgia Dome against 19th. ranked Georgia. The Bulldogs are the only team that posted a losing record last season that cracked the top 25 voting by the AP.
Oregon St. have three opponents initially ranked in the top 11, as Stanford is ranked #7, and Wisconsin, the Beavers' opponent in week 2 in Madison, WI, is just outside the top 10, at #11.
The only other team from the west in the top 25 is USC. The Trojans, who are not eligible for the postseason, were also not eligible for votes in the Coaches' Sports Information Directors' Poll, but are eligible to receive votes in the AP poll, and round out the top 25.
Arizona St. led 4 other Pac-12 teams that received votes, placing 28th. Utah was 30th. Arizona got 2 points, and Washington a single vote for 25th., placing last in the "Others receiving votes", tied with Nevada. Obviously, the Huskies and Wolfpack didn't get much carryover from how they finished last season, paying the price for the loss of their quarterbacks and another key player to the NFL instead.
Oregon St.'s last non-conference opponent, BYU, is tied with North Carolina St. for 33rd.
Air Force and Hawaii are the only other western teams to get any votes.
Andy_Wooldridge@yahoo.com