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Pac-12 Win Totals: Plenty of Eyes on the Deion Sanders Experience in Boulder
Will USC Dethrone Two-Time Defending Champion Utah?
Say a prayer for the Pac-12. While the other Power-5 conferences have been making the moves to stay relevant in the conference realignment game, the Pac-12 is on life support with only four teams remaining after the 2023 season. Still, that doesn’t stop us from looking at the college football predictions for the Pac-12 conference swan song.
USC leads the way when it comes to the expected regular-season win totals. However. Colorado is a bit of a curiosity after new head coach Deion Sanders brought in 50 transfers.
One question to consider is how many Pac-12 teams will become bowl eligible. That could come down to how Arizona and Cal fare in 2023 as both have expected win totals at 5 when looking at the College football picks.
The season begins on Saturday when USC will be listed by the sportsbook as a 31½-point favorite against visiting San Jose State. Things could start to get interesting the following week when Utah clashes with Florida.
In the odds to win the national title, USC (+1600), Oregon (+4000) and Washington (+4000) have the best odds among Pac-12 teams. The College football odds have Utah at +6000 in the championship odds.
2023 Pac 12 Championship Prediction
USC 11-1 (8-1)
vs
Washington 10-2 (7-2)CHAMPION:
Washington 11-2 (7-2) pic.twitter.com/j41SDd1CH7
— The GM of College Football (@GrandMasterCFB) August 24, 2023
Trojans Are the Team To Beat
Even with star receiver Jordan Addison off to the NFL, USC could be an explosive offense once again. The defense, well that is a different story.
Other than a mid-October trip to South Bend to face Notre Dame, the non-conference slate for the Trojans is rather pedestrian so with that in mind, it would make sense to go with USC at -110 to go over 10 regular-season wins for the team picked to win the Pac-12.
Oregon (-110 to go over 9½ wins) and Washington (even money to top 9½ wins) are ready to challenge the Trojans once again. The Huskies play both Oregon and Utah at home and that could play a role in Washington’s chances to finish over the total.
With quarterbacks Bo Nix and Michael PenixJr. back at Oregon and Washington, scoring points should not be an issue. Losing promising sophomore running back Cam Davis for the season after he suffered a season-ending injury in practice is a big blow for Washington.
Washington is listed as a double-digit favorite by the Las Vegas odds against Boise State and Michigan State before embarking on conference play
Ready To Spoil the Party?
Once again, Utah is being undervalued at +110 to go over 8½ wins. One of these years people will learn not to sleep on a Utah team that thrives in the role of the forgotten underdog.
UCLA (-120 to go over 8.5 wins) is also lurking despite losing star quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, one of the most impressive rookie quarterbacks in NFL preseason play.
Oregon State is showing up in preseason polls and with +105 odds to go over 8.5 wins, the Beavers could play their way into the Pac-12 title picture.
Middle of the Road
Washington State is in limbo in more ways than one. Not only are the Cougars one of the four teams yet to leave the Pac-12 for another conference, but they are also on the fence when it comes to the quest to become bowl eligible.
Washington State is priced at +145 to finish over 6½ wins and -165 to go under the total.
Cal (-125 to surpass five wins) and Arizona (-120 to top five wins) are looking for at least six wins and the bowl appearance that comes with that.
What About Colorado?
The Buffaloes should make for good theater with all the personnel changes. Sanders knows how to generate news and he will be in the spotlight.
Give Colorado a couple of weeks before making any picks on the expected win total of 3½, although the +105 number to go over could pay out in the end.
Stanford at +140 to top three wins is out there for the adventurous souls who wish to go that way.
