Best Early 2017 PAC-12 Title Bets and Winning Favorites

Despite winning a dozen games and reaching the four-team College Football Playoff in 2016, the Washington Huskies are clearly not getting the respect they deserve. You see, instead of being the odds-on-favorite to repeat as PAC-12 conference champions in 2017, it is Heisman Trophy favorite Sam Darnold and the USC Trojans that are favored to win the competitive PAC-12 in 2017 in the eyes of oddsmakers. If you’re looking to find out which PAC-12 national championship hopeful actually has the best chance of winning the conference title in 2017 and potentially advancing to this coming season’s playoffs, then I’ve got an answer that you can virtually write in concrete! Let’s find out who the best early Pac-12 title bets and NCAAF betting odds are available right now.

A Closer Look At The Best Early 2017 PAC-12 Title Bets and Winning Favorites

   

USC -125

While Trojans lost three games (10-3) and finished in second place in the Pac-12 South Division, one game behind Colorado, the USC Trojans have been installed as odds-on-favorites to win the conference championship in 2017, and I can see why – to a certain extent. Moreover, USC has a blossoming star in quarterback Sam Darnold with the strong-armed sophomore completing an impressive 67.2 percent of his passes while tossing 31 TD passes and nine interceptions.

USC Trojans Team Statistics

Offensive total yards: 476.38 Average Score For: 34.38 Offensive rush yards: 200.00 Defensive total yards: 367.15 Offensive passing yards: 276.38 Defensive rush yards: 139.08 Average Score Against: 24.23 Defensive passing yards: 228.08 Still, there’s some concern for the Trojans on offense seeing as how they lost a trio of All-Pac-12 performers, including two All-Americans, on the offensive line and No. 1 wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. Not only that, but the Trojans will need to replace four starters on the defensive side of the ball including 2016 Thorpe Award winning cornerback Adoree Jackson, a gifted athlete that also scored 15 touchdowns in his time with USC.  Thus, while I expect the Trojans to contend, I don’t think they’re offering nearly as much value as Washington.

Washington +250

For me, the Huskies should not only be favored to win the Pac-12 again in 2017, but they’re offering excellent value as a +250 pick to win the conference. In addition, the Huskies have arguably the best coach in the Pac-12 in Chris Petersen and return 13 starters, none more important that their pair of Heisman trophy candidates in quarterback Jake Browning (43 Tds, 9 INTs) and running back Myles Gaskin (1,373 yds, 10 Tds). On the other hand, speedy wide receiver John Ross is gone and the Huskies also lost a trio of stars in the secondary, but Washington has a very solid front seven that will hold down the fort until the new starters in the secondary come of age. Therefore, after ranking an identical eighth in scoring (41.8 ppg) and eighth in points allowed (17.7 ppg) I say the sky’s the limit for Washington in 2017.

Washington Huskies Team Statistics

Offensive total yards: 456.93 Average Score For: 41.79 Offensive rush yards: 198.14 Defensive total yards: 316.86 Offensive passing yards: 258.79 Defensive rush yards: 133.93 Average Score Against: 41.79 Defensive passing yards: 182.93

UCLA +600

UCLA Bruins went 4-8 last season as quarterback Josh Rosen suffered a shoulder injury early on and was never the same for the rest of the season. However, that wasn’t the only problem for the Bruins as they ranked an uninspiring 96th in scoring (24.9 ppg) and 127th in rushing. Correspondingly, UCLA’s offensive woes forced head coach Jim Mora to conduct a complete overhaul of his offensive staff, including adding new coordinator Jedd Fisch.  Moreover, the good news is that the Bruins have four starters back on the offensive line in 2017, although they have question marks at all three levels on the defensive side of the ball.

UCLA Bruins Team Statistics

Offensive total yards: 376.83 Average Score For: 24.92 Offensive rush yards: 84.25 Defensive total yards: 382.00 Offensive passing yards: 295.58 Defensive rush yards: 172.17 Average Score Against: 27.50 Defensive passing yards: 209.83

Stanford +800

Stanford closed out the 2016 campaign by winning their final six games of the season and returns eight starters on both sides of the ball even though they also lost two players that were drafted in the top 10 in the NFL Draft in running back Christian McCaffery and defensive end Solomon Thomas. Additionally, Stanford is hoping that quarterback Keller Chryst will be ready to open the season after getting injured in the Sun Bowl and the Cardinal’s success could depend on his speedy recovery.  Nonetheless, Stanford does have a talented running back in talented junior Bryce Love who appears ready to pick up where McCaffery left off last season after rushing for 783 yards and three scores. Moreover, the Cardinal will likely be pretty solid at some point in the near future after ranking a stellar 20th in points allowed (18th). For me, Washington is the pick t bag the Pac-12 title in 2017.

Stanford Cardinal Bruins Team Statistics

Offensive total yards: 367.08 Average Score For: 26.31 Offensive rush yards: 208.38 Defensive total yards: 368.08 Offensive passing yards: 158.69 Defensive rush yards: 144.46 Average Score Against: 20.38 Defensive passing yards: 223.62