2018 preseason Pac-12 Top 25: Washington sneaks into Top 5

1. Alabama

2. Clemson

3. Georgia

4. Wisconsin

5. Washington - The Huskies have inched up in the off-season. They have almost all the pieces to be better than the team that made the Playoffs two years ago. They just have to have a few key players progress and stay healthy. They will probably be playing in the final four, if all goes right.

6. Ohio State

7. Oklahoma

8. Penn State

9. Auburn

10. Michigan

11. Miami

12. West Virginia

13. Michigan State

14. Stanford - Bryce Love alone makes the Cardinal a Top 15 team. Their offensive line and WRs/TEs help as well, but how high they are able to get totally depends on how K.J. Costello comes along and how the defense replaces Harrison Phillips and Justin Reid. Do those well, and they can sneak into the Top 10 by the end of the season.

15. TCU

16. Virginia Tech

17. USC - I’m getting more sheepish about the Trojans the more I think about their QB situation, but let’s remember they ACTUALLY WON the Pac-12 last year, not Washington or Stanford. What’s to like about the Trojans though is the talent and experience everywhere other than QB.

18. Texas

19. Notre Dame

20. Boise State

21. LSU

22. UCF

23. Mississippi State

24. Oregon - The Ducks are a red hot sleeper team with the nation’s hottest NFL prospect at QB. They don’t play a challenging game until the fourth week of the season, so they should crawl into the Top 20, maybe even 15 by the time they open Pac-12 play against Stanford.

25. Florida State

On the edge

South Carolina, Iowa State, Utah, Arizona, Oklahoma State