Sometimes we can’t help but live in the past.
While the past several weeks and months have been spent looking forward and trying to project what life will be like for the Oregon Ducks going forward in the Big Ten Conference, it has crossed our mind how things would look in the Pac-12 in 2024 had the conference not been virtually dissolved.
Who would be the favorites to win the conference? Which teams would be considered sleepers early on, with a chance to make some noise? Are there any teams who would have zero chance to do anything yet again?
We looked at the win totals in the Big Ten going into the spring to help give an outlook of what to expect, so let’s take a look at the win totals for teams formerly of the Pac-12 and see where everyone would land.
Here are the latest odds from FanDuel Sportsbook:
Stanford Cardinal — 3.5 Wins
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It feels like Stanford might be heading in the right direction under Troy Taylor, but the first year of competing in the ACC may be a little bit tough for the Cardinal. I don’t think there should be high expectations, which would have been the case in the Pac-12 as well.
Arizona State — 4.5 Wins
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
There’s a chance that Arizona State can start to show some improvement this year as long as Jaden Rashada can stay healthy, and Kenny Dillingham continues to grow as a coach. The power balance of the Big 12 is a bit unknown at this point, so I could see ASU going over this win total.
Colorado Buffaloes — 5.5 Wins
James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
Will Colorado’s offensive line be able to protect Shedeur Sanders? Can the defense stop anyone? If the answers to those questions are a yes, then they could surpass this win total and make a little bit of noise in the Big 12 next year.
Washington State Cougars — 5.5 Wins (Estimated)
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With a new QB at the helm and a lot fresh schedule aligned with the Mountain West, things will look quite a bit different for Washington State in 2024. They could be able to win quite a few games based on their level of competition, but it’s hard to project exactly what we will see.
FanDuel Sportsbook only included win total odds for teams in the Power 4 Conferences, so neither Washington State nor Oregon State were included.
UCLA Bruins — 5.5 Wins
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Bruins will be breaking in a new coach this season, and they have a new-look roster for the most part as well. Going into the first year of the Big Ten, it’s likely that things will be pretty tough for UCLA, but I think the same could have been said if they were competing in the Pac-12 this year as well.
California Golden Bears — 6.5 Wins
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Can Cal compete in the ACC? They seem to have a better chance than Stanford, but I don’t think they will take over as a dominant team any time soon in that conference. If the Pac-12 were still around, I think they could be a sneaky solid team.
Oregon State Beavers — 6.5 Wins (Estimated)
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The Beavers have to deal with breaking in a new coach and a new quarterback, and much of the roster from a solid 2023 team is gone as well. Like with Washington State, there’s a chance they could do really well with their light schedule, but it’s hard to predict at this point.
FanDuel Sportsbook only included win total odds for teams in the Power 4 Conferences, so neither Washington State nor Oregon State were included.
USC Trojans — 7.5 Wins
James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
After losing Caleb Williams to the NFL Draft, USC’s offense might take a step back in 2024, but nothing matters unless their defense takes a big step forward. It feels like in the Pac-12, the Trojans would still be a top-3 or top-4 team, but that changes in the Big Ten for sure.
Washington Huskies — 7.5 Wins
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Washington is another team that has to replace both coach and quarterback, and their schedule in the Big Ten isn’t the easiest, so seeing what they can do will be interesting. In the Pac-12, they would probably be a top-4 or top-5 team.
Arizona Wildcats — 8.5 Wins
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Arizona would be a really interesting team to watch in the Pac-12 in 2024, since they were a sleeper team down the stretch in 2023. Of course, with a new coach, things may be different, but they return both Noah Fifita and Tetairao McMillan, so they should be among the favorites in the Big 12.
Utah Utes — 9.5 Wins
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I think that Utah would be a lot of people’s sleeper pick in the Pac-12 in 2024 if the conference were still together. They return a lot of talent, and with Cameron Rising back healthy, the could certainly be a playoff team this year. I could definitely see them winning the Big 12 in their first season in the conference.
Oregon Ducks — 10.5 Wins
If the Pac-12 were a thing in 2024, Oregon would certainly be the favorite to win it all. They are currently the second-favorite in the Big Ten behind Ohio State, but there seems to be a strong belief that this is a College Football Playoff team with legitimate championship aspirations behind Dillon Gabriel and Dan Lanning.
