USC is back in vogue on the Pac 12 betting odds menu with Oregon close behind for the 2012 season.
Among the conference races open for betting is the Pac-12. So here's a quick look at the upcoming season out West, and Sportsbook on each team.
Southern Cal, now off probation and eligible to win the Pac-12 title, is a -140 favorite at Sportsbook to do so this season. The Trojans return 15 starters, including Heisman candidate QB Matt Barkley, from a team that would have won the Pac-12's South Division last year had it not been for the penalty imposed because of misdeeds during the Carroll regime.
But that's in the past; USC is again on the prowl.
Three-time defending conference champion Oregon is the second favorite to win it again this year at +120. The Ducks get back 12 starters from the team that won the Rose Bowl last January, but they've got big shoes to fill with the departures of QB Darron Thomas and RB LaMichael James.
And they have to play back-to-back at USC and at Cal in November.
A few seasons removed from going 0-12 Washington is now back among the living, and going into this season the third pick to win the Pac-12 at +1,100. The Huskies return 15 starters from a team that went 5-4 in conference last year, led by QB Keith Price, who posted a 33/11 TD/INT ratio as a sophomore. And while they have to play at Oregon, they get USC and Stanford at home.
And Big Game foes Stanford and Cal are both getting +1,700 to win the Pac-12 this year. The Cardinal only have nine starters back, and none are named Luck, while the Bears get 11 starters back after finishing below .500 in conference play for the second straight season.
Elsewhere on Sportsbook Utah, with 15 returning starters, is getting +2,500; Arizona and new head coach Rich Rodriguez are getting +3,000; UCLA (with new coach Jim Mora), Arizona State (with new coach Todd Graham) and Washington State (with new coach Mike Leach) are all getting +4,000; Oregon State is lined at +5,500; and Colorado, on a run of six straight losing seasons, is listed at +9,000 to win the Pac-12 this year.
