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USC Unanimous Pick To Win Pac-10 In Pre-Season Media Poll
July 28, 2004
Complete Release in PDF Format
LOS ANGELES - USC is the unanimous choice to win the 2004 Pacific-10 Conference football title in a pre-season poll of West Coast media members who regularly cover the league. The Trojans garnered all 24 first-place votes, marking the first time in the Pac-10 era since 1978 that one team received every first-place vote. USC is the defending Pac-10 champion, as well as defending Associated Press national champion, after fashioning a 12-1 record last year, capped by a Rose Bowl win against Michigan. CALIFORNIA was picked to finish second by the pollsters. Since 1978, the Golden Bears have never been picked higher than fourth in the pre-season poll. The media poll has correctly selected the Conference Champion in 21 of 43 previous polls, including the last four years in a row. Following are the results of the pre-season media poll (points 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1, first-place votes in parentheses):
POLL NOTES: Pre-season media poll has correctly picked the Conference champion 21 of 43 times and has been very accurate of late in correctly identifying the Conference champ the last four years in a row and five of the last six. . . . Since the Pac-10 era began in 1978, no team had ever before received every first-place vote until USC turned the trick this year. The closest was 1992 when Washington, like USC coming off a national championship the previous season, received 30 of 31 first-place votes. The Huskies came through by making a return trip to the Rose Bowl following the 1992 season. . . . It is the highest predicted finish for CALIFORNIA in the Pac-10 era since 1978. The previous high water mark for the Bears was being picked to finish fourth. . . . Of all the teams, the pollsters seemed to have the most difficulty predicting how ARIZONA STATE will fare this season. The Sun Devils were picked to finish as high as third and as low as ninth. . . . Hope for ARIZONA. In two of the last three years, the team predicted to finish last in the Conference has posted a winning record. . . . And remember, it's the Pac-10, where six different teams have claimed the championship the last six years.
Media Poll has correctly selected the Conference Champion 21 of 43 times, including the last four years in a row.
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