It took some prompting but Washington State coach Kyle Smith finally acknowledged that being picked to finish eighth in the Pac-12 was a disappointment.

After all, the Cougars figure to be improved from the team that surprised doubters by finishing 14-13 last year, the program's first winning season in nine years.

"We'll find out. That's why we play the games," Smith said at Pac-12 media day. "We don't invest too much in (the polls), but we do feel like we were competitive last year."