Fansided

Pac-12 Football 2017 preview

By Brad Weiss

SANTA CLARA, CA - DECEMBER 02: Washington Huskies revel in the celebration during the Pac-12 Championship game between the Washington Huskies verses the Colorado Buffaloes on December 2, 2016 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, CA (Photo by Douglas Stringer/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - DECEMBER 02: Washington Huskies revel in the celebration during the Pac-12 Championship game between the Washington Huskies verses the Colorado Buffaloes on December 2, 2016 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, CA (Photo by Douglas Stringer/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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EUGENE, OR – OCTOBER 08: Quarterback Jake Browning #3 of the Washington Huskies looks to hand off against the Oregon Ducks on October 8, 2016 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
EUGENE, OR – OCTOBER 08: Quarterback Jake Browning #3 of the Washington Huskies looks to hand off against the Oregon Ducks on October 8, 2016 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images) /

Predicted order of Finish

North Division

  1. Washington
  2. Stanford
  3. Oregon
  4. Washington State
  5. Oregon State
  6. California

South Division

  1. USC
  2. Utah
  3. Colorado
  4. UCLA
  5. Arizona State
  6. Arizona

In the North Division, there are a few teams that could challenge Washington, but nobody is a real threat. Stanford is going to be solid with Bryce Love toting the rock, but the question mark at quarterback is a real issue. Oregon is going to be better with Willie Taggart at the helm, and the combination of Royce Freeman and Justin Herbert will put up points, but the schedule gets daunting late in the year.

Washington State is going to always score, and with Luke Falk coming back to be the team’s starting quarterback in 2017, he could be in for a 4,000-plus yard season. Oregon State made some nice strides last season, beating Oregon in their season finale, but they have a long way to go. Cal is going to struggle, and it will be tough for them to win more than four games this season.

The South Division is going to get interesting, as there are four teams that can challenge for supremacy. USC is our favorite going into the season, but Utah is always tough at home, and has a stellar defense returning. Colorado is very interesting, and should come into the year with a ton of confidence, making them a tough out at home as well.

On paper, the UCLA Bruins look like the fourth-best team in the division, but if Josh Rosen is healthy, he is going to be one of the best quarterbacks in the country. Arizona and Arizona State are going to be bad, so it really is a four-team race to the top of the South. USC should win it, but do not count out any of the top four teams in the division.