Pac-12 Betting Preview: 4 Over/Under and Conference Winner Bets to Make

While the Pac-12 has only sent teams to the College Football Playoff twice in the playoff’s seven-year history, the conference has been much more competitive at the top than the other Power Five conferences. Oregon has won the last two Pac-12 titles, but Washington, Stanford, and USC all have titles to their names in the last six years. The Ducks are once again the favorite this year, but they have a lot of competition as Washington, Arizona State, USC, and Utah all have odds to win the Pac-12 within +600.

Here are the odds, via FanDuel Sportsbook, to win the Pac-12 for each team as well as their over/under total for this upcoming season:

Oregon

The Ducks are the favorites for a reason. Oregon has the most offensive talent of any team in the conference, and they return nine starters. Running backs C.J. Verdell and Travis Dye make up one of the best rushing duos in the country, looking to follow up on a season where they average 4.4 and 6.9 yards per rush, respectively. The Ducks also return their top four receivers from last season, in which their offense finished fourth in the conference in passing yards per game.

While Oregon avoids USC and Arizona State from the South, they have challenging road trips to Stanford, Washington, and Utah. Since their win total is right at nine and their odds to win the conference are the lowest, there’s not much value on the Ducks this season.

USC

Last season, the Trojans lost to Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship, even though they were favored. USC returns a bunch of NFL talent this year, including quarterback Kedon Slovis, wide receiver Drake London, and defensive end Drake Jackson. Slovis and London should lead the Trojans to a top ranking in passing yards in the conference, for the second year in a row.

Luckily for Trojan fans, USC avoids Oregon and Washington until the Pac-12 Championship, potentially. They also play Utah, their biggest competition from the South division at home, so their toughest conference matchup will be a road trip to Arizona State. USC is arguably the most talented team in the Pac-12 and their conference schedule is relatively soft, so at current odds, the Trojans are the best play for conference winner.

Utah

The Utes have to get to double-digits in the win column for their over to hit, but even though they return 19 starters, that number seems high. Utah will have one of the best defenses in the Pac-12 again led by future NFL linebacker Devin Lloyd, but they’ll have a couple of questions to answer on offense.

Utah brought in a few transfers on offense: quarterback Charlie Brewer from Baylor, running back T.J. Pledger from Oklahoma, and running back Chris Curry from LSU. If the Utes can get production out of all three, then they might be able to give USC a run for the division title, but they have to play the Trojans on the road. Utah also drew Oregon and Stanford out of the North, so their schedule is tough enough to keep them under 9.5 wins.

Stanford

David Shaw’s Cardinal team has a brutal schedule, which explains why their win total is so low. They drew the best four teams from the South (USC, UCLA, Arizona State, and Utah) and play on the road against two of them (USC and Arizona State). Stanford also has two Pac-12 contenders in their own division, Oregon and Washington, and to cap it all off, they play Notre Dame in the season finale. Shaw is arguably the best coach in the conference, so he’ll have the Cardinal to compete in every game.

While they only have six returning starters on offense, Stanford brings back three of their four top receivers, only losing Simi Fehoko to the NFL. Last season, the Cardinal ranked second in the conference in passing yards and even though Fehoko is a big loss, their receiving corps should help the winner of the quarterback battle (Jack West or Tanner McKee) keep Stanford close to the top in that category. Ultimately, Stanford should be able to win at least four games and make a push for a berth in a bowl game.

California

It’s been a while since the Golden Bears were relevant and Cal fans are going to have to keep waiting. California’s schedule includes road trips to TCU, Washington, Oregon, Stanford, and UCLA, where they’ll be sizable underdogs. Add a visit from USC and there are six conceivable losses.

The Bears have to win more than six games for the over to hit, and their offense simply doesn’t have enough explosiveness to keep up with the contenders in the Pac-12 -- they return nine starters from the conference-worst offense in yards per game. Experience might help California improve that number this season, but it won’t be enough to get to seven wins.

Best Bets:

- USC to win Pac-12 (+400)
- Utah under 9.5 wins (-110)
- Stanford over 4 wins (-110)
- California under 6 wins (-105)