The Washington Huskies are the top Pac-12 team in the odds, but the Oregon Ducks are right behind them
Oregon is cohesive, experienced and ready to take a swipe at the Pac-12 title and take down Washington
The Sun Devils had a winning 2018 record and a new defensive structure that could make them a viable sleeper
The first iteration of the 2019 Pac-12 title odds have the Washington Huskies and Oregon Ducks significantly ahead of the rest of the “pack.”
2019 Pac-12 Title Odds
| Team | Odds to win 2019 Pac-12 Championship |
|---|---|
| Washington | +180 |
| Oregon | +200 |
| Washington State | +700 |
| USC | +800 |
| Utah | +800 |
| Stanford | +1600 |
| California | +2500 |
| Arizona State | +2500 |
| Arizona | +2800 |
| UCLA | +3300 |
| Colorado | +6600 |
| Oregon State | +10000 |
The Huskies are the defending champions, but no team has repeated as Pac-12 winners since Stanford in 2013. Can Chris Petersen’s squad break that drought?
Washington’s Soft Schedule Could Be Deciding Factor
From afar, there’s a rebuild in the making for Washington. They are used to waving goodbye to top-tier players to either graduation or the NFL draft. However, they’re having to replace 13 starters, including nine on defense. With that said, they could have depth from new recruits on their d-line and secondary.
They’ve been priming defensive back talent with juniors Keith Taylor, Elijah Molden, and redshirt freshman Kyler Gordon at the new cornerback positions, but we have yet to see those players succeed on the field, and there’s always more inherent risk in that type of projection.
Peterson will have a new quarterback in Georgia transfer Jason Eason and he should be an upgrade over Jake Browning, who slotted the Huskies in for conference titles but melted on the national stage.
The Huskies’ offensive line is walking into 2019 with experience, which will take the pressure off of the new QB. On the down side, they’ve lost all-time leading rusher Myles Gaskin, an extremely creative running back. Further, there are gaps in the linebacker and wide receiver positions.
What the Huskies have going for them the most, is their schedule, says Jon Wilner of the Mercury News:
Despite a winning record last season, the Sun Devils have been excluded from polls, but they should be going 2-0 heading into the September 14th game at Michigan State. They crush the Spartans and they are back to being poll worthy.
Additionally, expect a further improvement on their defensive side under the 3-3-5 scheme, Danny Gonzales will employ. They haven’t lost a lot of their starters in this area and they’ve built out a veteran defense that should come out playing strong but most importantly, cohesively.
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They have a banger of a running back in Eno Benjamin and he’ll be flanked by a seasoned offensive line. Brandon Aiyuk, their former-JUCO senior receiver is going to be out there proving something and you’ve got slot receiver Kyle Williams standing like a rock-solid blocker.
Your sleeper bet is with the Sun Devils and the more lucrative bet in the top-ranked is going to be Oregon. Lean on experience over theory.