Pac-12 College Football Sports Betting Preview (2019)

by Mike Spector |
Aug 18, 2019

We are officially less than a week away from the first college football action of the season. The last part of our five-part conference betting preview focuses on the Pac-12 Conference. The Pac-12 figures to be one of the most wide-open of all the major conferences. Last year, no team had less than two conference losses. There has not been a repeat conference champion since 2013, and in that time four different schools won the conference championship. Here is a look at every team from the Pac-12 conference.

Odds to win the 2019 Pac-12 Championship (odds courtesy of FanDuel)

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Team	Odds
Utah	+250
Washington	+250
Oregon	+350
USC	+900
Stanford	+1600
Washington State	+1600
Arizona	+2500
Arizona State	+2500
UCLA	+2500
California	+5000
Colorado	+12500
Oregon State	+25000

The Favorites:

Utah +250
Utah appeared in the Pac-12 championship game last year but lost to Washington. The Utes begin the season ranked 15th in the Preseason Coaches Poll. Utah possesses one of the strongest defenses in the conference. They return seven starters from a unit that finished 25th in the country in total defense and second in the conference in points per game allowed. Cornerback Jaylon Johnson is one of the best in the country.

The strength of the defense is the line which returns all four starters. Last year, running against this front was not easy as they allowed the fifth least rushing yards per game in the nation. Defensive tackles Leki Fotu and John Penisini will be playing on Sundays in the future, along with defensive end Bradlee Anae. The only weak link is at linebacker, where the Utes replace NFL draft picks Chase Hansen and Cody Barton.

The fact that Utah finished 9-5 (6-3 Pac-12) last year is more impressive when you consider how injured they were to end the year. Utah didnâ€™t have starting quarterback Tyler Huntley or starting running back Zack Moss for the final five games of the season. They went 3-2 in those games, losing the Pac-12 championship game, and the Holiday Bowl to Big 10 runner-up Northwestern. Both Huntley and Moss return, forming one of the best duos in the conference.

Washington +250
Washington is the defending Pac-12 champion. They are the highest-ranked Pac-12 team in the Preseason Coaches Poll (ranked 12th). The Huskies are aiming for their fourth straight 10-win season and their third Pac-12 championship in four years. If they are to achieve these goals, they will need a lot of new starters to step up and play well early. The defense which ranked 17th in the country in total defense and first in the conference in points per game allowed returns just two starters. The Huskies will rely on senior Myles Bryant as the only returning starter in the secondary to bring along the younger players.

The Huskies are led on offense by quarterback transfer Jacob Eason. Though Washington must replace their all-time leading rusher in Myles Gaskin, they have faith that junior Salvon Ahmed can handle a heavy workload. The most returning experience is in their offensive line, where they bring back four starters. The line is anchored by All-Pac-12 center Nick Harris and former second-team All-American left tackle Trey Adams.

The schedule sets up nicely for Washington, in that their toughest conference games (Oregon, Utah, Washington State) are all at home. This is key since the Huskies are 14-1 in conference home games the last four seasons.

Oregon +350
Oregon starts the year ranked 13th in the Preseason Coaches Poll. The Ducks are in search of their first 10-win season and conference championship since 2014. Expectations are the highest they have been since that season because of one man, senior quarterback Justin Herbert. Many draft experts felt Herbert would have been the first quarterback taken in the NFL draft if he came out this past season. Instead, he returns under center behind one of the best offensive lines in the country. Herbert also has a plethora of weapons at the wide receiver position, including Penn State transfer Juwan Johnson. In all, Oregon returns their offense almost entirely intact with ten starters back from last year.

Defensively, Oregon will rely on transfers and a true freshman (defensive tackle Kayvon Thibodeaux) to fill the holes of departing starters. As they have been the last three years, the defense will be led by leading tackler at inside linebacker Troy Dye. The Ducksâ€™ secondary will be one of the best in the conference and the country. They return three starters, including their best two cornerbacks and strong safety.

Other Contenders:

USC +900
USC finished 5-7 (4-5 Pac-12) last year, their first losing season in the last 18 years. Head coach Clay Helton is on the hot seat if he cannot turn things around. USC will be one of the more entertaining teams to watch in 2019. The Trojans brought in new offensive coordinator Graham Harrell who was previously the offensive coordinator at North Texas. Harrell is a disciple of the Mike Leach air raid offense, so it is safe to assume he will let quarterback JT Daniels throw a ton this year. Daniels has one of the best receiving corps in the conference to throw to led by Michael Pittman Jr., Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Tyler Vaughns.

USCâ€™s odds are helped by the fact that they play in the weaker Pac-12 South. However, they face arguably the top three teams in the North division as crossover opponents, which doesnâ€™t make things easier for their chances at representing the South division in the conference championship.

Stanford +1600
Stanford begins the year ranked 23rd in the Preseason Coaches Poll. The Cardinal are once again led by senior quarterback K.J. Costello, who is coming off a season in which he passed for the second-most yards in school history. Stanford is always known for a bruising and physical rushing attack. It may not be easy for them to play that way this year as they must replace running back Bryce Love and four starters on the offensive line. Stanford also replaces their three top pass catchers from a year ago, placing added pressure on Costello.

The Cardinal also must replace important pieces on defense, namely their two leading tacklers. Inside linebackers, Bobby Okereke and Sean Barton are gone, but the rest of the front seven all has playing experience. The strength of the defense is in the secondary, led by All-American candidate cornerback Paulson Adebo.

Stanford has one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country: Northwestern, at UCF, Notre Dame. They do play their two toughest conference games at home (Oregon, Washington) and avoid playing Pac-12 South favorite Utah as a crossover opponent.

Washington State +1600
Washington State is ranked 21st in the Preseason Coaches Poll. The Cougars are once again led by a transfer quarterback (Gage Gubrud). Gubrud is a two-time FCS player of the year finalist from Eastern Washington. He will enjoy the benefits of Mike Leachâ€™s quarterback friendly air raid offense but has big shoes to fill since Luke Falk and Gardner Minshew enjoyed successful careers at the school. Gubrud will have the benefit of throwing to the Cougarsâ€™ top four leading receivers from a year ago.

Arizona +2500
Arizona quarterback Khalil Tate was playing at a Heisman-caliber level last season until he suffered a nagging ankle injury that plagued him the rest of the season. For Tate to be the most dynamic player he can be, he needs to be fully healthy so that defenses respect his running ability. In 2017, he became the first quarterback in conference history to run for 1,000 yards in a season. Four of their top receivers are gone, but big-play running back J.J. Taylor returns. The Wildcats will be challenged on the road this year, as they travel to USC, Oregon, Stanford, and Arizona State.

Arizona State +2500
Head coach Herman Edwards named true freshman Jayden Daniels the starting quarterback. The Sun Devils lost leading receiver Nâ€™Keal Harry to the NFL, but return their other top three receivers. Leading running back Eno Benjamin is also back, and they boast one of the most experienced offensive lines in the country. The defense is led by one of the deepest linebacking corps in the country, which returns their top three tacklers from a year ago.

UCLA +2500
UCLA will look to make further strides on offense in their second year under head coach Chip Kelly. Running back Joshua Kelley looks to build on a strong end to last yearâ€™s season, as he scored at least one touchdown in the last eight games of the season. No game was bigger than his 289 rushing yards against rival USC. However, UCLA also has a brutal road schedule, as they travel to Washington State, Arizona, Stanford, Utah, and USC.

Longshots:

California +5000
Though California will once again boast one of the conferences top defenses, they have not had a winning conference record for the last 10 years.

Colorado +12500
Though the Buffaloes are very young in most spots, they possess one of the most dangerous QB-WR combinations in the conference in Steven Montez and Laviska Shenault Jr.

Oregon State +25000
Oregon State returns seven starters on offense and 10 starters on defense. The Beavers will be more competitive, but cannot challenge the top teams in the conference consistently.

Best Bet: Utah +250

Utah is the best bet to win their first-ever Pac-12 championship for one main reason: they play in the Pac-12 South and not the Pac-12 North. While Oregon, Washington, Washington State, and Stanford fight it out and beat each other up in the North, I do not expect Utah to be threatened much on their side. The clash between Utah and USC on September 20th will go a long way in determining the Pac-12 South champion. Although Utah plays that game on the road, I expect them to be victorious.

Utah won the South division last year without a healthy quarterback and running back for much of the year, so why canâ€™t they do it if they stay healthy all year? Utahâ€™s defense is suffocating and will shut down the best offenses in the conference consistently. You simply cannot run on this Utes defense, and they feast on opposing quarterbacks after making them one dimensional. Look for Utah to beat whoever comes out of the North division, and earn their first Rose Bowl birth in school history.