The final season of the current Pac-12 is shaping up to be a great one. The conference seems full of potential contenders, surprises and up-and-comers. As the Conference of Champions’ last dance approaches, I assigned each team a preseason superlative. Let’s see who lives up to these early predictions.
Most likely to win the Pac-12: USC
A lot of people are high on the Trojans this season and I don’t see much reason to disagree. USC was a good team last year, and Heisman-winning quarterback Caleb Williams is set to return for his second year in SoCal. Lincoln Riley’s squad does have a tougher schedule this season, but the Trojans enter the season ranked No. 6 and all signs point toward USC being the top dog in its final season in the Pac-12.
Most likely to also end up in Vegas: Utah
I’ve counted out Utah enough times to learn that as long as Cameron Rising is on the field, the Utes are legit. They have a tough schedule with road games against No. 18 Oregon State, No. 6 USC and No. 10 Washington, but Rising almost always finds a way to keep his team in and win these games. Don’t be shocked if this year’s title game is a rematch of 2022’s.
Most likely to pull off a huge upset: Arizona State
The Sun Devils have often been the team that absolutely ruins another team’s season in one game. Arizona State hired Oregon’s former offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham as its newest head coach. If the ASU offense even remotely resembles last year’s Ducks’ team, the Sun Devils could be primed to play spoiler for someone in 2023.
Most likely to host ESPN’s College Gameday: Oregon
I could make a case for at least three games this season that could draw College Gameday out to Eugene for the second straight season. If Deion Sanders’ Buffs are somehow undefeated when they come to Autzen, I could see College Gameday coming out West. When Oregon hosts No. 6 USC in November, it could be an ideal matchup for national television. Finally, a clash with No. 18 Oregon State at the end of the year could have major postseason implications and provide a reason to see the popular show in Eugene once again.
Most likely to exceed expectations: Arizona
The Wildcats were a pleasant surprise last season, and I truly believe they could outperform their expectations in 2023. Jayden de Laura and his impressive offense have a handful of winnable games on the docket. Matchups with Northern Arizona, University of Texas El Paso, Stanford, Washington State, Colorado and Arizona State could all go Arizona’s way this season.
Most likely to not win a game: Stanford
A new head coach, lack of huge recruits and uncertain future of the program’s conference leads me to believe that Stanford could be absolutely abysmal in 2023 and potentially — however unlikely — go winless this season.
Most likely to go 6-6: Washington State
The Cougars are going to be a separating bar in 2023. The better teams in the conference shouldn’t have too much trouble putting Washington State down, but Cameron Ward and the Cougars should be better than the bottom feeders of the conference.
Most likely to take the biggest step: Colorado
The Buffs were 1-11 last season so the bar is fairly low. I’m not one of the people that believes Sanders is going to turn Colorado into a contender in one year, but I have little doubt that the Buffaloes will take a massive step forward in 2023.
Most likely to regress: Washington
The Huskies enter the season ranked No. 10 in the AP Poll, the first time they’ve cracked the top 10 since 2018. The expectations are high, but I’m not convinced Washington is all that it’s made out to be. Michael Penix Jr. is back at quarterback for UW, but setting the Huskies at No. 10 seems like a recipe for a season full of disappointment.
Most likely to be a surprisingly exciting game: UCLA at Oregon State
Both teams had respectable offenses in 2022 and will have a new quarterback at the helm in 2023. While neither OSU or UCLA are expected to win the conference, a matchup between the Bruins and Beavers could be entertaining enough to draw attention to both programs that look to be on the rise.
Most likely to be forgettable: Cal
It’s Cal. Nobody paid much attention to the Golden Bears last season, and I see nothing that makes me think they’ll be any more interesting in 2023.
