Media members covering the Pac-12 aren’t expecting much out of the Colorado football team this season.
On Thursday, the conference announced the media projections for this season, and the Buffaloes were picked for a last-place finish.
For the first time in the 12-year history of the conference there will be no divisions, so the 33 media members who voted were asked to rank the teams from 1-12. CU received just 58 points in the voting, with Arizona (86) ahead of the Buffs in 11th.
Defending champion Utah was the overwhelming favorite to win the Pac-12, with 26 first-place votes and 384 points overall. Oregon received two first-place votes and is ranked second, with Southern California third. The Trojans received five first-place votes.
CU has never been highly regarded in the preseason poll. From 2011-21, CU was projected for last-place finishes in the South division seven times — including every year from 2011-16 — and fifth-place finishes three times. The highest projection was a fourth-place finish in 2017. This is the fifth time CU has received the fewest amount of points in the preseason poll among the 12 schools.
On the field, the Buffs have had six last-place finishes in the South during their 11 seasons in the Pac-12 and two fifth-place finishes. The Buffs won the division in 2016 and finished second in 2020. Last year, they tied USC for fourth place.
Pac-12 football media day is slated for Friday in Los Angeles.
The full preseason poll (first-place votes in parenthesis):
1. Utah (26), 384 points
2. Oregon (2), 345
3. Southern California (5), 341
4. UCLA, 289
5. Oregon State, 246
6. Washington, 212
7. Washington State, 177
8. Stanford, 159
9. California, 154
10. Arizona State, 123
11. Arizona, 86
12. Colorado, 58
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