Predicting the conference championship games and winners of every Power 5 league

Pac-12: Oregon vs. USC

Winner: Oregon

The Pac-12 is clearly behind the ACC, Big Ten and SEC in the depth of quality teams, something that consistently goes against the conference winner’s favor. Washington’s appearance in the 2016 CFP was a positive, but an ugly loss brought them down, with no other Pac-12 team representing in the final college football games of the season since.

Oregon is the only other team from this western conference to make the playoff, making the inaugural postseason slate when Marcus Mariota was still in Eugene. Teams have been inconsistent since, and the Justin Herbert era never ascended to the heights assumed in prior preseasons.

Conference perception remains a problem in 2021, so the Ducks have plenty to prove. The offense was not the explosive group of years past in 2020, leaving transfer quarterback Anthony Brown pressured to clean up and return this team to its previous heights. Granted, it’s not all on him, because the running back group behind him is strong. They have a defensive ace in Kayvon Thibodeaux, who could lead one of the nation’s best groups that at least destroy everything in their way in the Pac-12 North. So make no mistake about it, Oregon is quite good and the favorites from their division and the conference overall.

The South is a little messy. No clear-cut team stands out to threaten even the top 10 by year’s end, but USC and Arizona State are at least competitive and potentially eight-win teams. The Trojans have the advantage based on the potential of skill players, but that’s been the case throughout the 2010s to middling results.

USC or the Sun Devils, Oregon is the Pac-12 favorites. If everything clicks, and then some, this is a dark horse for the College Football Playoff.