The Pac-12 has not had much to shout about over the last few years having been left out of the CF playoffs since 2016 when Washington lost to Alabama and the closest they got last year was with near neighbours Washington State who had a chance but fell short losing to them in a snowy Apple Cup. Washington is probably the conferences best hope in 2019, although a lot of eyes will be on Oregon (runners up in 2014) who have a potential no one draft pick at QB in the shape of Justin Herbert.

A few teams look competent in the conference this year and this will hurt their playoff hopes as they beat up on each other. Once again we think they will be the ones left out in the cold come January but they should fill their Bowl allocation and possibly take an extra spot if any conference can’t fill their allocation.

This is how we see the divisions panning out:

PAC-12 North

1st Washington Huskies

The Huskies won the conference title last year in a somewhat forgettable game against Utah, and a rematch looks to be on the cards. They start the season against FCS Eastern Washington (admittedly no pushovers) and then commence on a run of four more winnable games. before their first big test away to Stanford. This should give new QB Georgia transfer Jacob Eason time to get to know his new teammates. Washington has a strong receiving corp good running backs and some starters returning on defence, and under Head coach Chris Petersen they have become one of the most consistent teams in the conference. They have Oregon, Utah and Washington State at home and their only other road game of significance is at Arizona. There is little reason to believe they won’t win 10 games from this slate and go on to the Conference final.

Predicted record 10-2

2nd Oregon Ducks

Oregon probably has the best QB in the conference and a new defensive coordinator Andy Avalos who has inherited a solid secondary so can focus on getting the D Line right. They had a bright start last year but lost form midseason and late October looks like being tough again. We will know a lot about the team after week one as they face SEC Auburn, a win means they are for real, a loss and it could be a disappointing end to Herbert’s college career.  We think it will be the former and double-digit wins is not out of the question with this schedule.

Predicted record  9-3

3rd Washington State Cougars

Mike leach was supposed to be transitioning the Cougars last year, but Graduate transfer Gardner Minshew slotted in nicely at QB and was a big part in guiding them to a best-ever 11-2 season which included winning the Alamo Bowl. Mike Leach is hoping to repeat this with Eastern Washington transfer Gage Gubrud stepping in at quarterback and the Cougars are bringing back six starters from an underrated defense. They will figure in the fight for the top but for the first time since Leach took over, they might take a step back given their tough road schedule.

Predicted record 8-4

4th Stanford Cardinal

Stanford was a solid predictable team last year beating the poorer teams and losing to the good ones. They ended the regular season at 8-4 and a similar mark looks likely this season. They have a pretty tough start with Trips to USC & UCF as well as a home game against Oregon and a tricky opener against one of last season’s surprise teams Northwestern. With Washington, Washington State and Notre Dame on the slate too it’s going to be an interesting year.

Team-wise QB KJ Costello is back which is something, but the loss of JJ Arcega-Whiteside Kaden Smith & Bryce Love to the NFL means there are a few big shoes to fill. The defense is loaded though so they shouldn’t regress too far. The start will be crucial and anything over 2-2 will be signal of a good year ahead. Overall a bowl game looks assured but over 8 wins with their schedule would be a good season.

Predicted Record 8-4

5th California Golden Bears

Cal was pretty solid defensively last year but lacked firepower (and a bit of luck at times), and they could be even better this year given a lot of them will be back. The problem is who will be QB and the lack of weapons for whoever ends up under centre. It could end up being UCLA transfer Devon Modster and if he brings some consistency then 7 wins are not out of the question. Overall they should scrape bowl eligibility at worst.

Predicted Record 6-6

6th Oregon State Beavers

Oregon State struggled badly on defense last year giving up points seemingly for fun, which was a shame as the offense were not that bad despite a lot of injuries. Jonathan Smith is only in his second season as head coach so they are still in transition and with a pretty tough schedule a repeat of last years 2-10 might be a good result. Their 2018 wins came against an FCS team and in an OT victory over the equally bad Colorado. Neither option is ob the slate this year and we are struggling to spot any wins at this stage. Luck usually brings one though.

Predicted Record 1-11

 

PAC-12 South

1st Utah Utes

The Utes won their first-ever divisional title last season and a repeat looks pretty close to a sure thing, given they have brought a host of starters back this year. In 2018 Utah looked to be heading for a top 10 ranking, until QB Tyler Huntley broke his collar bone against Arizona State – a loss which pretty much put pay to that aspiration. Still, their only other losses were to Washington & Washington State to finish 9-3.  A loss in the easily forgettable Championship game was followed by a loss in the Holiday Bowl to Northwestern, giving a disappointing end to their best season since leaving the Mountain West and snapping a run of five consecutive seasons with a bowl win.

Having looked at their schedule we see nine winnable games and the only really tough game on their schedule is at Washington on the 2nd November. They may slip up at USC and an improving Arizona away is not going to be easy, but they could pick up one of those and finish with double-digit wins. Overall we think they might just sneak into the Rose Bowl this year.

Projected Record 10-2

2nd USC Trojans

Usc had a losing season in 2018 for the first time in the new Millenium and Head coach Clay Helton will probably bee feeling a bit of heat. The roster is full of Freshman & Sophomores which could go either way results wise, and the schedule is not too easy either with road trips to Notre Dame & Washington standing out. They were 2-4 in close games last year and if they can turn that around they should have a winning season.

Projected Record 7-5

3rd Arizona Wildcats

Second-year coach Kevin Sumlin did a pretty good job with the Wildcats last year getting them to 5-7, however, they were a missed field goal away from a Bowl game and also had a one-point loss at UCLA so they could easily have had a winning season. We don’t think they are a whole lot better this year but if QB Khalil Tate stays fit and RB J.J. Taylor has another good season they could sneak 7 wins. A return to Bowling looks likely.

Projected Record 6-6

4th UCLA Bruins

Chip Kelly had a first season in charge to forget and it is too early to expect him to turn the team around. QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson should be fit again and he looked like he was finally getting to grips with Chips offense when he went down. With Running Back Joshua Kelly available for the tough yards they could surprise a few teams, but with conference road games at Washington State, Arizona, Stanford, Utah & USC its hard to see them having a winning season. We expect an improvement on last year but no Bowl game.

Projected Record 5-7

4th Arizona State Sun Devils

Head Coach Herm Edwards likes to run the ball, which is just as well as the Sun Devils have lost Quarterback Manny Wilkins and receiver N’Keal Harry. So who plays QB is still in question and although the rest of last years receiving corp are back there is still question marks against the offense. Expect to see a lot of RB Eno Benjamin.

Projected Record 5-7

6th Colorado Buffaloes

New Head Coach Mel Tucker looks like having a baptism of fire with what is a fundamentally young team with no running game to speak of. The good news is they open with a winnable interconference game against Colorado State, and also have Airforce at home so a 2-1 start is a possibility. The bad news – it’s not easy to spot where win three would come from. Four wins looks to be their ceiling and three more likely.

Projected Record 3-9