With the Pac-12 men’s basketball media day taking place today, here is my ballot for the conference’s preseason poll. The top 3 teams are the usual suspects from last year, but some other teams are predicted to see their fortunes, for good or for bad, turn. And one team I’m forecasting to win a historic Pac-12 championship.

1. Arizona State

This is a season that, in my opinion, it all comes together for the Sun Devils. With a powerful starting lineup, which includes an AP preseason All-American player in senior guard Remy Martin, the league's reigning Sixth Man of the Year senior guard Alonzo Verge, and two five-star prospects in true freshmen guard Josh Christopher and forward Marcus Bagley, this is a level of talent that many starting fives in the Pac-12 can only dream of.

I do acknowledge the frontcourt concerns that do exist until proven otherwise, but not only can the emergence of sophomore forward Jalen Graham likely negate that apprehension, but I also feel that freshman forward Pavlo Dziuba would ultimately be a very pleasant surprise in that regard. And perhaps under the radar some, I think for the first time in the last couple of years, ASU has a formidable backup point guard to Martin in Holland Woods. All in all, the excitement about this Sun Devil squad is genuine and, in my opinion, will come to fruition with a historic Pac-12 championship.

2. UCLA

I think the majority number of pundits out there have made their voice heard in predicting the Bruins as the eventual conference champions, and they certainly have some strong arguments in their favor. Late last season, their surge in the conference standings was undeniable after a very disappointing non-conference slate. Forward Chris Smith deciding to return to the team, is in my opinion, truly makes them a legitimate contender. Guards Kentucky transfer Johnny Juzang and freshman Jaylen Clark form a trio of players that no Pac-12 defense will ever be licking their chops to face. No one should be surprised to see a very close battle unfolding between them and ASU for the league’s crown.

3. Stanford

I get it, sometimes you have to be extremely careful about a preseason darling, and the Cardinal are definitely a program that fits that bill, creating that palpable buzz comes to handicapping the Pac-12. An elite freshman in Ziaire Williams along with Oscar de Silva form easily one of the best frontcourts in the conference, and guard Daejon Davis is maybe one of the more underrated players in the league. I think their lack of depth is what can prevent them from truly making a championship run, but at the same time, this is a team that can and should give plenty of fits to their Pac-12 foes.

4. Oregon

I know it's almost sacrilegious to not predict the Ducks as a top-three finish in the preseason because their impressive track record speaks for itself. But I don't think I'm going out on the limb here saying that the loss of Pac-12 Player of the Year guard Payton Pritchard is one that cannot be seamlessly bridged. Guard Jalen Terry is definitely one of the more talented newcomers we'll see this season, and along with guard duo Will Richardson and Chris Duarte, there is enough firepower for the Ducks to make some noise. Center N'Faly Dante struggled quite a bit with injuries as a freshman, and it's unknown if he can have his breakout season and be the dominant force in the paint some are anticipating him to be. If that theory comes to fruition, maybe this is one prediction that can really come back to bite me later.

5. Arizona

I'm a big believer in the notion that when you rely on too many freshmen/newcomers; it is hard to truly be an elite team in your own conference. And perhaps some are minimizing the losses of Nico Mannion, Zeke Nnaji, and Josh Green from last season thinking that somehow this Wildcat squad is going to be better than 2019-20's sixth place (technically tied for fifth) finish. Truth be told, I like freshman guard Dalen Terry a lot and I think forward Jordan Brown the transfer from Nevada despite a modest career so far could be a pleasant surprise. But any way you slice it, you still have a lot of new faces in Tucson that need to come together in a hurry, and that's going to be a process which I believe will just land Arizona no better than the middle of the standings when it's all said and done.

6. Utah

I may be scarred from previous years undermining the Utes and perhaps ranking him this high in my preseason poll is a result of that. But forward Timmy Allen returning from last year along with a recruiting class that I think could surprise some led by guard Ian Martinez does form a team that may not be strong enough to really shock the rest of the conference but on the other hand should have enough talent to separate itself from programs that will clearly struggle this season.

7. USC

For the last couple of years, I really thought that the Trojans were going to break through and establish themselves as a powerhouse in the Pac-12 and not that their fourth-place finish last year was a colossal disappointment, but I personally expected more. One of the best freshmen in the country, frontcourt player Evan Mobley, can certainly negate to a large degree the loss of Onyeka Okongwu. However, with only four returning scholarship players from last year, that’s a lot of firepower loss on this team, and it will show.

8. Colorado

Boulder and the rest of the Pac-12, for that matter, get to enjoy the McKinley Wright show one last time. Yet, the guard not having his trusty wingman Tyler Bay is really going to take a toll on this team, which I don't believe has enough talent to repeat its fifth-place finish from last season. You can definitely argue that some teams below them in the 19-20 season standings have now passed them with improved talent.

9. Washington State

Losing CJ Ellerbe to the NBA draft is a gaping hole in the roster. Guard Isaac Bonton alone won't be able to bridge that gap but landing some quality freshmen such as forwards Carlos Rosario and Andrej Jakimovski could perhaps turn them into a modest surprise, improving two spots over their 11th place finish last year.

10. Washington

Remember my earlier point on when you have to heavily rely on a lot of freshmen players, bad things usually happen? Last year, even though Isaiah Stewart and Jaden McDaniels coming out of high school were phenomenal players, and they did not even come close to being able to carry this team into a decent season, hence finishing in the conference cellar. Had to do a double take on this next fact, but did you know the Huskies did not land even one recruit in their 2020 class? Even though Kentucky guard transfer Quade Green who sat out half of the 19-20 season because of academics, is expected to be eligible and playing, I don't think we'll be good enough to truly propel this team to a significantly better finish. Truth be told, I do have a sneaky feeling that they could surprise me and make the selection wrong (but not by that much), but I will stick with it.

11. Oregon State

After seemingly being in the league for the last seven years (and yes, I am joking), Tres Tinkle has graduated and is another player whose departure really puts his former teammates in quite a bind. Guard Ethan Thompson is another underrated player in the Pac-12 who will now have even more opportunities to improve on his 15-point per game average from last year. I expect the squad to be as gritty as ever and maybe winning a few games they have no business coming up victorious in, but the talent level is nowhere close to that of the team that finished 8th last season.

12. Cal

It may not be talked about that much, but the fact that the Golden Bears did not finish dead last in the Pac-12 and actually won seven games in conference play was a pleasant surprise in Berkeley. A lot of it is thanks to Matt Bradley, who averaged 17.5 points per game, but dependable and/or proven pieces are simply not present around him, and it may be just enough to take a step back from last season's accomplishment.