Best Pac-12 South bet: USC Trojans or Utah Utes?

The Pac-12 odds favor the Oregon Ducks to win the North, but is the USC Trojans or the Utah Utes the best bet to win the Pac-12 South?

Will this be the year the Pac-12 gets back into the College Football Playoff? In the six years of the postseason tournament, only the 2014 Oregon Ducks and the 2016 Washington Huskies have made the field. While no Pac-12 South team has ever punched its ticket into the playoff, will this year be different? Who is the best bet in the Pac-12 South: The USC Trojans or the Utah Utes?

Oregon is the presumptive favorite to win this Power 5 conference at 6/5 odds. Though they will be challenged by the likes of Washington (10/1), Stanford (20/1) and Cal (25/1), it would be shocking if they’re not playing in the conference title bout. What wouldn’t be shocking is if Pac-12 South teams like USC, Utah or even the Arizona State Sun Devils end up challenging them.

Here are the latest odds to win the Pac-12 this year, via LVSuperBook.

Updated Pac-12 title odds

USC has the second-best odds in the Pac-12 at 11/4. Utah is right behind the Trojans at 6/1 for the third-best odds in the conference. Arizona State is tied for the fifth-best odds at 20/1 with Stanford. UCLA is a little ways back at 30/1, while Arizona and Colorado aren’t expected to even remotely contend this year. Let’s look at the schedules and see who is winning the Pac-12 South.

USC has a tough non-conference slate with a neutral-site affair vs. the SEC’s Alabama Crimson Tide at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, as well as a home date vs. the annual rival in the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The Trojans aren’t beating Alabama on any galaxy and Notre Dame is capable of pulling off a road upset over USC.

While USC lucks out getting home games vs. Arizona State, Cal, Washington and Notre Dame, having to play at Stanford, at Utah, at Oregon and even at crosstown rival UCLA could be problematic. Even if they drop both big non-conference games vs. Alabama and Notre Dame, we’re looking at a USC that could go 7-2 in Pac-12 play. Is that good enough to win the division?

Once again, Utah plays no one impressive in the non-conference. The Holy War with BYU is cool, but the Wyoming Cowboys and Montana State Bobcats do nothing in the College Football Playoff Selection Committee’s eyes, even if the date with the Pokes is at great altitude in Laramie. As for Pac-12 play, the Utes catch several breaks this season.

Their toughest road game might be at Arizona State late in November. At Cal to begin Pac-12 play might be tough, but getting USC at home this year is a godsend, as the Utes have never beaten the Trojans in Los Angeles before. Though they do have to play Washington, it will be at Rice-Eccles. If Utah were to play Oregon this year, it would have to be in the Pac-12 Championship game.

Just looking at Utah’s schedule, it’s hard seeing the Utes going any worse than 10-2 (7-2) in any capacity. As long as they beat USC in Salt Lake, they are the better bet to get to the Pac-12 title game than the Trojans.

Frankly, you’re getting better odds and a more navigable schedule out of Arizona State this year than USC. If Herm Edwards‘ team lives up to expectations, they’re a more worthy adversary out of the Pac-12 South for Utah than USC. As it seems to be the case far too often, USC is criminally overrated by the oddsmakers, as they’re the third-best team in their own division. Utes all day.

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