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The Pac 12 may lose its status as a power conference whenever USC and UCLA move to the Big Ten next season. This conference has not produced a national champion since 2004 when Pete Carroll led USC to back-to-back national championships, and the last national champion that wasn’t USC or UCLA was Washington all the way back in 1991. Since the creation of the College Football Playoff, the Pac 12 has only placed two teams in the top four by the end of the season, and there hasn’t been a team representing this conference in the CFP since the Washington Huskies were walloped by the Alabama Crimson Tide back in 2016.
PAC 12 Championship Odds at BetRivers
USC +180
Oregon +325
Washington +350
Utah +550
Oregon State +1100
UCLA +1800
Washington State +4000
Arizona State +9000
Colorado +10000
California +10000
Arizona +10000
Stanford +10000
It took USC quite some time to become a national powerhouse again, but the Trojans proved that they meant business when they hired Lincoln Riley away from Oklahoma. Riley immediately rejuvenated the program by bringing in top transfers from his former school, and one of his quarterbacks won the Heisman Trophy for the third time in the last six seasons. Caleb Williams is the favorite to win the award once again this year per the Heisman Trophy betting odds, and he will have the opportunity to put up big numbers in this offense.
USC’s biggest concern is continuity. The Trojans are expected to start eight transfers on defense and eight transfers on offense. Riley can plug and play pretty well on offense, but his defenses have always been underwhelming. There is a bit of a conspiratorial aspect too as the conference does not want USC or UCLA to win a PAC 12 title on the way out, so I would stay away from the Trojans at this price.
Oregon is a much better bet to win the PAC 12 Championship. The Ducks continue to recruit well under Dan Lanning, and he has a Heisman Trophy candidate under center in Auburn transfer Bo Nix. We saw Nix thrive in his first season in Eugene, proving that all he needed was a change of scenery. Oregon has the benefit of hosting USC in mid-November, and the schedule largely works in their favor too with five home conference games.
The Washington Huskies have a potential Heisman Trophy winner too in Indiana transfer QB Michael Penix. Injuries have been a constant source of consternation for Penix over his career, but he managed to stay healthy and threw for4,641 yards with 31 touchdowns against five sacks in 2022. Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan are both quality receivers in Kalen DeBoer’s offense, and there is some nice talent on defense too. That could lead to a small play on the Huskies to win the PAC 12.
I would avoid betting on Utah to win the PAC 12. Cam Rising did have a quality season in Salt Lake City in 2022, but he is now without his two dynamic tight ends in Dalton Kincaid and Brett Kuithe. The Utes rely on their tight ends in the passing game more than any other offense due to their play action, and their absence will hurt them on this side of the ball. The offensive line is undergoing a bit of a reboot too, as there are no seniors in the two deep.
Oregon State has been one of the minnows in the Pac 12 for a long time. Jonathan Smith has done a good job with this program though, and the Beavers brought in D.J. Uiagalelei this offseason. Uiagalelei is hoping to succeed with a change of scenery like we saw with Bo Nix, as there is a good deal of talent on this side of the ball. The Beavers have a tough end to the schedule though with back-to-back games against Washington and Oregon.
If you are looking for a longshot to win the PAC 12, take a gander at Washington State at 40-1. Cam Ward is a talented dual threat quarterback, and Nakia Watson could have a lot of success after transferring over from Wisconsin to run the ball more.
