Jul 23, 2014 04:34 PM EDT By Russell Westerholm, UniversityHerald Reporter

On the first day of the Pac-12 Media Days, the reporters who regularly cover the conference pegged the Oregon Ducks as the favorites to win the title.

According to ESPN, Oregon received 24 of 39 possible votes, followed by the UCLA Bruins, who got 13 votes, while Stanford and USC each got one vote. Both Oregon and UCLA received 37 votes in predicting the winners of the North and South divisions of the Pac-12.

The Stanford Cardinal is coming off two consecutive Pac-12 titles, both coming under David Shaw, the team's former offensive coordinator and who took over at head football coach after Jim Harbaugh. The Cardinal will seemingly have a loaded schedule, hosting USC in week two and visiting Arizona State week seven, Oregon week nine and UCLA to close out the regular season.

With the return of quarterback Marcus Mariota, who is likely to be put on the pre-season Heisman Trophy watch list, the Ducks appear to have their high-powered offense once again. Oregon won their first eight games last year before finishing 2-2 in their last four matchups. This year, their schedule will take them on the road against UCLA in week six and have them host Michigan State week two and Stanford nine.

UCLA will compete with Arizona State, defending champions in the Pac-12 South, and USC for the division title. Thanks to the return of quarterback Brett Hundley, UCLA appears to be ready to make a run. However, in their last two games of the season, the Bruins will host USC and Stanford.

The USC Trojans are coming off a tumultuous season in which former head coach Lane Kiffin was fired early on. Even though the team played particularly well under interim coach Ed Orgeron, USC decided to hire former Washington coach Steve Sarkisian. The Trojans are looking to make a statement in the Pac-12 South after finishing 6-3, good for third in the division.

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