There's no mystery as to where the power lies in the Pac-12 women's soccer. California teams dominate the league. No team from outside of the state has won even a share of the title since Arizona in 2004. No team from outside of the state has come within six points since the league expanded to twelve teams, and barring something incredible, that streak isn't going to end in 2016.
While the middle of the Pac-12 is still more than a match for almost every other conference's top guns, the California clubs are just a class apart. Stanford's unending cycle of talent and UCLA's brilliant recruiting class will get most of the attention, but the real team to watch may be USC, who has a real shot at not just a league crown, but also the program's second national title.
Let's take a look at the Pac-12 in our D1 Women's Soccer 2016 Preview. The projections below are my own, and they differ slightly from the preseason D1 Women's Soccer rankings by BennettRank since BR, as a computer poll, doesn't take roster turnover into account.:
(Note: The projections below do not take into account unconfirmed, but potential absences on Cal and Washington's roster due to the U20 World Cup.)
| My Projection | Team (Preseason BennettRank) |
|---|---|
| 1. | Stanford (BR-2) |
| 2. | USC (BR-6) |
| 3. | Cal (BR-14) |
| 4. | UCLA (BR-40) |
| 5. | Washington (BR-33) |
| 6. | Washington State (BR-23) |
| 7. | Arizona (BR-21) |
| 8. | Utah (BR-57) |
| 9. | Arizona State (BR-39) |
| 10. | Oregon State (BR-51) |
| 11. | Oregon (BR-83) |
| 12. | Colorado (BR-68) |
Use your arrow keys or the arrow buttons above and below to navigate the list of team-by-team previews.
