"We are looking forward to a great year in a tough conference," Riley said. "I am going on seven years back at Oregon State and I see our conference as growing and getting better top to bottom all of the time.
"Every game is as tough as it gets."
USC, once again and for a record seventh consecutive time, was picked to
finish atop the standings. Cal followed at No.2 and Oregon at No. 3 with
the Beavers and Arizona State rounding out the top five.
OS' predicted fourth place finish is its highest prognosticated finish since
2004 when the Beavs were also expected to complete the season at fourth in the
conference standings.
The Beavers have finished higher than projected in the West Coast media's poll in four
of the last five seasons. During Riley's second stint in Corvallis beginning in 2003, the football
team has achieved a higher completion in the standings than forecasted in four
of his six seasons.
If the Orange and Black hope to exceed expectations for the fourth straight
year, a good place to start would be to take care of USC on the field - once again.
"There’s not a lot of magic to it,"
Riley said Thursday. "You have to play a great
football game and you have to finish it."
The media has tabbed the winner of the conference 54 percent of the time (26 of 48)
while selecting the champion the last nine straight years, with six of them
being USC.
|
Pac-10 Media Polls
2000-2009 |
|
2009
(Actual champ: - | Actual OSU finish: -)
1. USC (28) 316 pts.
2. California (3) 277
3. Oregon (1) 250
4. Oregon State 216
5. Arizona State 155
6. Stanford 150
7. UCLA 145
8. Arizona 142
9. Washington 74
10. Washington State 35
|
2008
(Actual champ: USC | Actual OSU finish: Tied for
second)
1. USC (38) 389 pts.
2. Arizona State 330
3. Oregon 295
4. California (1) 274
5. UCLA 204
6. Oregon State 192
7. Arizona 185
8. Washington 139
9. Stanford 76
10. Washington State 61
|
|
2007
(Actual champ: USC | Actual OSU finish: Third)
1. USC (39) 390 pts.
2. California 323
3. UCLA 305
4. Arizona State 242
5. Oregon State 237
6. Oregon 226
7. Arizona 162
8. Washington State 115
9. Washington 98
10. Stanford 47 |
2006
(Actual champ: USC | Actual OSU finish: Third)
1. USC (18) 276 pts.
2. California (7) 257
3. Oregon (3) 229
4. Arizona State (1) 204
5. UCLA 145
6. Arizona 133
7. Oregon State 125
8. Washington State 96
9. Stanford 90
10. Washington 50 |
|
2005
(Actual champ: USC | Actual OSU finish:
Seventh)
1. USC (41) 410 pts.
2. California 300
3. Arizona State 296
4. Oregon 290
5. UCLA 282
6. Washington State 189
7. Oregon State 159
8. Arizona 131
9. Stanford 106
10. Washington 92
|
2004
(Actual champ: USC | Actual OSU finish: Tied for third)
1. USC (24) 240 pts.
2. California 210
3. Oregon 192
4. Oregon State 138
5. Washington State 133
6. Arizona State 131
7. Washington 100
8. UCLA 98
9. Stanford 40
10. Arizona 38
|
|
2003
(Actual champ: USC | Actual
OSU finish: Tied for fifth)
1. USC (10) 227 pts.
2. Arizona State (9) 224
3. Washington (4) 198
4. Oregon State (2) 172
5. Oregon 139
6. UCLA 138
7. Washington State 107
8. California 68
9. Stanford 57
10. Arizona 46
|
2002
(Actual champ: WSU/USC | Actual OSU finish: Tied for fourth)
1. Washington State (17) 302 pts.
2. Washington (12) 296
3. Oregon (1) 272
4. USC (3) 243
5. Oregon State (1) 207
6. UCLA 178
7. Stanford 131
8. Arizona 107
9. Arizona State 87
10. California 47
|
|
2001
(Actual champ: UO | Actual OSU finish: Seventh)
1. Oregon (20) 310 pts.
2. Oregon State (3) 270
3. UCLA (10) 262
4. Washington 228
5. Stanford 191
6. USC 185
7. Arizona State 128
8. California 90
9. Arizona 81
10. Washington State 70
|
2000
(Actual champ: OSU/UW/UO | Actual OSU finish: Tied for first)
1. Washington (16) 275 pts.
2. USC (11) 272
3. Oregon (1) 211
4. UCLA 181
5. Arizona State (2) 167
6. Oregon State 163
7. Stanford 133
8. Arizona 127
9. California 63
10. Washington State 47
|