When the AVCA released its preseason Top 25 last week, the Pac-12 was well-represented. Voters from around the country saw the Pac-12 as the deepest conference, placing seven of the 12 teams in the Top 25 and landing two more in the “other receiving votes” category.
When the conference released its own coaches’ preseason poll today, though, the opinions were a bit at odds with the national opinion. For Arizona, it showed that the conference coaches have a greater belief in their potential to compete in the conference than the national voters do.
One reason to believe that will happen is the unbalanced schedule.