Oregon Ranked No. 12 in Preseason USA Today Sports Coaches Poll

The Ducks were the highest-ranked team in the Pac-12, just ahead of USC and Washington.

The Oregon Ducks will open the 2021 season ranked No. 12 on the preseason USA Today Sports AFCA coaches poll. Three Pac-12 teams were ranked in the top 25, with Oregon ranking above USC (No. 14) and Washington (No. 21).

Utah barely missed the top 25, while Arizona State, UCLA Stanford, and California received votes as well.

Oregon clinched a top-15 spot in the coaches poll for the third consecutive season, as the Ducks prepare to chase their third straight Pac-12 championship. The Ducks opened last season ranked ninth and began the 2019 season ranked 13th. 

Alabama ranked atop the poll, receiving 63 of 65 first-place votes. Clemson, Oklahoma, Ohio State, and Georgia round out the top five. Oklahoma received the other two first-place votes.

Six teams that received at least one vote will face Oregon this season: Ohio State (No. 4), Washington (No. 21), Utah, UCLA, Stanford, and California.

With so many media outlets projecting the Ducks to win the conference and to be a contender for the College Football Playoff, it is important for the players to focus on their preparation rather than the outside buzz. Mario Cristobal emphasized this Tuesday shortly after the poll was released and has stressed the same point throughout his tenure at Oregon.

"We don't have a single thing that shows any type of ranking," he told reporters following Tuesday's practice. Their day is gobbled up by what we do, and the entire focus is on our process and that 1-0 mentality. We just have our foot on the gas. No focus on anything else but the Oregon Ducks."

The 2021 season kicks off in less than four weeks when the Ducks host the Fresno State Bulldogs on Sept. 4. Expectations are sky-high for them as they bring back a slew of experienced players along with the Pac-12's best recruiting class.

You can read the full preseason USA Today Sports AFCA coaches poll here.

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