Pac 12 Football: Preseason 2016 Conference Power Rankings

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Dec 5, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal running back Christian McCaffrey (5) tries to avoid being tackled by Southern California Trojans cornerback Kevon Seymour (13) after running for a first down in the second quarter in the Pac-12 Conference football championship game at Levi /

Pac 12 football missed the College Football Playoff last year, and here’s how we see them stacking up before the 2016 season.

Some may blame the four-team playoff system, which could take some of the heat. Others will just blame the teams themselves. However, that doesn’t change the fact that this Power Five conference wasn’t given a chance at a national championship.

This season, the College Football Playoff has the same four-team format, meaning the Pac-12 can’t miss a step if it hopes for a national title chance. But it looks like — at least at this point — that the conference has the talent needed to make a run.

Stanford, fresh off of their Rose Bowl rout of Iowa last season, is ranked No. 7 in the USA Today Preseason Coaches Poll and is a favorite by many national analysts to win the conference. Close behind, though, are Oregon, Washington, USC and UCLA, all whom are big contenders to knock the Cardinal from the top.

But, we can’t get ahead of ourselves. The season is still a few weeks away, and a lot can change before we can focus on the postseason.

So for now, here are our preseason Pac-12 power rankings.

Next: Number 12

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