Pac-12 2016 Betting Preview: Stanford, UCLA Top Odds to Win the Conference

If sophomore quarterback Josh Rosen is destined to be a future overall No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, then the UCLA Bruins will be a team to be reckoned with in the Pac-12 this season.

Rosen and the Bruins are listed as the +350 second choice (bet $100 to win $350) to win the conference behind only the defending champion Stanford Cardinal at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark.

Stanford is the +300 favorite to win the Pac-12 led by 2015 Heisman Trophy runner-up Christian McCaffrey, who had 2,019 rushing yards and eight touchdowns as a sophomore a year ago and added 645 receiving yards and five more scores. He totaled 15 touchdowns overall, including two return TDs (one punt and one kickoff).

However, McCaffrey will have a new quarterback under center handing him the ball with Kevin Hogan moving on to the NFL. Keller Chryst and Ryan Burns are the two players battling for the starting job.

Rosen and fellow sophomore Jake Browning of the Washington Huskies (+400) are the top two returning signal-callers, which is why their teams are next in line on the betting board after the Cardinal. Rosen led UCLA to an 8-5 mark last season, while Washington was 7-6 with Browning, and both should be much-improved with a year of experience under their belts.

Rosen ranked fourth in the Pac-12 in passing yards with 3,670 and also threw 23 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. Browning finished sixth with 2,955 passing yards and had 16 touchdowns with 10 picks. Both had more passing yards than Hogan.

The USC Trojans and the Oregon Ducks are each at +550 to win the Pac-12 on the college football betting lines, and they have been the two best teams in the conference over the past decade. However, both face challenges this year that could keep them from winning the conference.

USC will have a new starting quarterback replacing Cody Kessler and a new permanent head coach in Clay Helton, who took over for Steve Sarkisian on an interim basis after his termination last season.

Meanwhile, Oregon is just two years removed from an appearance in the first-ever College Football Playoff, but head coach Mark Helfrich will have yet another new starting quarterback to break in this season with Vernon Adams in the CFL.