College Football Betting Preview: 2022 Pac-12 Conference Analysis and Best Bets

Over the next few weeks, Dimers will be bringing you a slew of college football betting previews. We already looked at some of our favorite bets to win the Heisman Trophy, but now we’re doing in-depth dives on the Power Five conferences. We’re beginning with the Pac-12, which added some real flair when Lincoln Riley became the head coach of the USC Trojans.

This conference is going to look very different in a couple of years — and there’s no guarantee it will even exist down the line — so let’s appreciate it while we have it. The only thing better than betting on mid-week #MACtion is chasing after winners in #Pac12AfterDark. Keep reading for some key things to know about each program, as well as our favorite bets to win the conference championship.

🏈 College Football predictions for every game in 2022

USC Trojans

Best odds: +200 at PointsBet

Returning Starters: 8 Offense, 3 Defense
Over/Under Regular Season Win Total: 9.5

If you believe that Riley is going to immediately turn the Trojans into Pac-12 champions, you’re not alone. The DimersBOT gives USC a 30.2% chance to win the conference, which is the best of any team in the Pac-12 heading into the year. The Trojans, led by Heisman Trophy hopeful Caleb Williams, should have one of the best offenses in the country in 2022 — Riley’s Sooners teams were in the Top 5 in yards per game in three of his five years at the University of Oklahoma. Not many teams in the country added more firepower through the transfer portal, and defensive coordinator Alex Grinch should have his unit performing at a respectable level on the other side of the ball.

Utah Utes

Best odds: +250 at PointsBet

Returning Starters: 8 Offense, 6 Defense
Over/Under Regular Season Win Total: 8.5

The Utes went 9-1 with Cameron Rising under center last season, and the team then put up a real fight against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl. Kyle Whittingham is one of the best coaches this conference has to offer, and he now has a team that is both talented and experienced. The Utes were 14^th in the nation in scoring offense and 35^th in scoring defense a year ago. Utah returns 14 total starters from that productive team, so special things could be on the horizon.

Oregon Ducks

Best odds: +300 at PointsBet

Returning Starters: 8 Offense, 7 Defense
Over/Under Regular Season Win Total: 8.5

Will Auburn transfer Bo Nix figure things out in Eugene? The answer to that question will determine how this season plays out for Oregon. With former University of Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning now manning the sidelines for the Ducks, this will undoubtedly be a defensive-minded football team. But Oregon was just 75^th in the nation in scoring defense last year, so it’ll take some real work for that unit to be good enough to make up for the question marks on offense.

UCLA Bruins

Best odds: +1000 at Unibet

Returning Starters: 6 Offense, 2 Defense
Over/Under Regular Season Win Total: 8

Chip Kelly’s fourth season with UCLA was the best so far, as the Bruins went 8-4 and were slated to play in the Holiday Bowl before things got messed up. UCLA has some studs from an offense that averaged 36.5 points per game last year, with quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and running back Zach Charbonnet being the headliners, but the Bruins only bring back eight total starters from last year’s team. That means that reaching yet another level could be rather difficult, as Kelly will be working in a lot of new players.  

Washington Huskies

Best odds: +1800 at Caesars

Returning Starters: 8 Offense, 5 Defense
Over/Under Regular Season Win Total: 7.5

The Huskies bring back 13 of last year’s starters, but the team also added a lot of experience in the transfer portal. Michael Penix Jr., who threw for 1,645 yards with 14 touchdowns and only four picks in 2020, is one of the biggest ones. If he beats out Dylan Morris for the starting job, he’ll help new head coach Kalen DeBoer add a lot of offensive juice to a team that scored only 21.5 points per game last year. Washington likely won’t compete this year, but eight or nine wins isn’t out of the question.

Oregon State Beavers

Best odds: +3500 at Caesars

Returning Starters: 6 Offense, 9 Defense
Over/Under Regular Season Win Total: 5.5

Jonathan Smith, who used to be the offensive coordinator at Washington, has completely turned Oregon State around. After going 2-10 in his first year with the program, the Beavers went 7-6 in his fourth season in Corvalis. Now, Oregon State brings back 15 players from last year’s team, which means that expectations are rather high for the Beavers. Don’t be surprised if this team easily goes Over the 5.5-game total, while also being a sneaky contender to win the Pac-12 North.

Oregon State puts together back-to-back 92-yard touchdown drives before the end of this half. The latest ends with Chance Nolan connecting with Tre'Shaun Harrison for a 36-yard touchdown to give Oregon State a 21-14 lead over USC. pic.twitter.com/NJkaVL0Clo

— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) September 26, 2021

Arizona State Sun Devils

Best odds: +4000 at Unibet

Returning Starters: 3 Offense, 4 Defense
Over/Under Regular Season Win Total: 5.5

Herm Edwards is 25-18 since becoming the head coach for Arizona State, but there’s no denying that the program is heading towards some darker days. The Sun Devils are currently being investigated by the NCAA, and the team dealt with a mass exodus of talent via the transfer portal. Arizona State did well to scoop up quarterback Emory Jones, an electric dual-threat signal caller that was a starter at the University of Florida. But it’ll be hard for the Sun Devils to achieve bowl eligibility this year.  

Washington State Cougars

Best odds: +4000 at Caesars

Returning Starters: 4 Offense, 6 Defense
Over/Under Regular Season Win Total: 5.5

If Washington State finds a way to achieve bowl eligibility in 2022, the season would be considered a success. The Cougars are now led by Jake Dickert, who was the team’s interim head coach after Washington State fired Nick Rolovich last year. Rolovich, like previous Cougars head coach Mike Leach, was an offensive-minded guy, but Dickert was the Cougars’ defensive coordinator. He likely has his own vision for the team, and it’ll take some time to bring that to life.

Stanford Cardinal

Best odds: +6000 at PointsBet

Returning Starters: 10 Offense, 7 Defense
Over/Under Regular Season Win Total: 4.5

This is going to be an interesting year for the Cardinal, as the team hasn’t won 10 or more games since the 2016 season. Whether or not Stanford would be willing to put up with another losing season from David Shaw remains to be seen, but it does seem like bowl eligibility is the best this group can do. While the Cardinal return 17 starters from last year’s team, that was a squad that was outside the Top 100 in both scoring offense and scoring defense. It should, however, be fun to watch Tanner McKee, who has the potential to be a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

California Golden Bears

Best odds: +7500 at Caesars

Returning Starters: 3 Offense, 5 Defense
Over/Under Regular Season Win Total: 5.5

The Golden Bears allowed only 22.2 points per game last season, which was good for second in the Pac-12. As long as Justin Wilcox is leading this program, Cal should be very tough on that side of the ball. The Golden Bears do, however, need to figure things out on offense, and it just doesn’t look like that’ll happen this year. Expect another season in which Cal’s bowl eligibility is hanging in the balance in the final weeks.

Colorado Buffaloes

Best odds: +25000 at BetMGM

Returning Starters: 7 Offense, 5 Defense
Over/Under Regular Season Win Total: 3.5

The DimersBOT give the Buffaloes the second-worst chance to win the Pac-12 this year, and it’s for good reason. Colorado is pretty inexperienced on the defensive side of the ball, which was the team’s strength a year ago. Now, the Buffaloes are likely looking at mediocre units on both offense and defense. Head coach Karl Dorrell is confident that he’ll get things right in Boulder, but he definitely needs some more time.

Arizona Wildcats

Best odds: +25000 at BetMGM

Returning Starters: 7 Offense, 8 Defense
Over/Under Regular Season Win Total: 2.5

Considering Arizona won only one game in 2021, it won’t be difficult for the Wildcats to top last year’s win total. The team does, however, have a pretty tough non-conference schedule, which means there won’t be any cupcakes this season. Arizona will likely judge its success this year based on whether or not it can get a win over Arizona State, which should be possible considering they’ll meet in Tucson. Overall, another lousy season is likely, but Jedd Fisch has found a way to create some buzz around the program.

2022 Pac-12 Conference Best Bet: Utah (+250)

USC has the support of the DimersBOT this season, but there’s a lot of uncertainty in backing the Trojans. The team is working in a ton of new starters on both sides of the ball, and a lot of pressure comes with the Riley hype. With that said, you might want to take Utah at more favorable odds and trust in the team’s experience. The Utes return a total of 14 starters from a team that barely lost to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. And a full season with Rising under center means this could be the best Utah offense we’ve seen in a long time.

2022 Pac-12 Conference Best Value Play: Oregon State (+3500) 

It’s not likely that a team with these odds will find a way to win the conference, but it’s more likely in the Pac-12 than anywhere else. This is a conference that hasn’t been a part of the College Football Playoff since 2014-15, and a lot of that has to do with how crazy things can get during the regular season. That gives a long shot a legitimate chance to do something special out west, and Oregon State has some real sleeper appeal. The Beavers are coming off their first winning season with Smith at the helm and they now return 15 starters from that team. At the very least, back Oregon State to hit the Over on the season win total.