2019 Pac 12 Preview

North Division

PlaceTeamWin-Share (Conf)Record (Conf)Rating
1Washington
Huskies
9.6 (6.7)10-2 (7-2)4.72
1Oregon Ducks8.8 (6.3)9-3 (7-2)4.60
3Stanford Cardinal7.6 (5.8)8-4 (6-3)4.36
4Washington St
Cougars
5.8 (3.4)8-4 (5-4)3.83
5California
Bears
5.2 (3.2)4-8 (2-7)3.82
6Oregon State
Beavers
4.8 (2.8)3-9 (1-8)3.60

South Division

PlaceTeamWin-Share (Conf)Record (Conf)Rating
1Southern California
Trojans
7.3 (5.3)8-4 (6-3)4.37
1Utah Utes8.4 (5.8)8-4 (6-3)4.38
3Arizona St
Sun Devils
7.0 (4.8)6-6 (4-5)4.12
3UCLA Bruins5.8 (4.4)6-6 (4-5)4.04
5Arizona Wildcats4.0 (2.2)6-6 (3-6)3.54
5Colorado Buffaloes5.7 (3.6)5-7 (3-6)3.96

Championship Game

Washington over USC

**Washington and USC get tie-breakers over Oregon and Utah respectively due to H2H**

Notes

Washington repeats as Champs. This time beating USC instead of Utah in champ game. Probably one of Washington’s better teams, but Pac 12 stands to be improved this year with 5 legit top 25 type teams. Making it a tough road for Washington (or whoever the champ ends up being). Will be hard for any of them to come out with less than 2 losses. Washington is the team that could end up doing it IF Eason ends up performing to his hype.

Oregon is another team that could end up a playoff contender with Herbert staying. The key will be how their defense performs. Stanford, USC, Utah, and even Wash St are all teams that could beat Oregon or Washington. Should be an exciting year in the Pac 12.

I think Washington ends up as the 4th Playoff team. Edging out UGA and Big Ten Champ (better record than Big Ten Champ and Conference Champ over UGA). Oregon is a top 15 team, with Stanford, Utah, and USC as potential top 25 teams.

9 teams go bowling.

Bowl Projections

TeamBowl Projections
WashingtonPeach Bowl (CFP Semifinal)
OregonRose Bowl
USCAlamo Bowl
UtahHoliday Bowl
StanfordRedbox Bowl
Washington StSun Bowl
Arizona StLas Vegas Bowl
UCLACheez-It Bowl
ArizonaArizona Bowl

Pac 12 Coach Rankings

  1. David Shaw – Stanford
  2. Chris Peterson – Washington
  3. Clay Helton – USC
  4. Mike Leach – Washington St
  5. Kevin Sumlin – Arizona
  6. Kyle Whittingham – Utah
  7. Justin Wilcox – Cal
  8. Mike Macintyre – Colorado

Not Ranked (First year coaching in last 5 years)

Chip Kelly – UCLA

Jonathan Smith – Oregon St

Herm Edwards – Arizona St

Mario Cristobal – Oregon

Simplified Football New Years Day Bowl Predictions

We have posted the Top 25 Rankings, and each conference prediction.  Here is the College Football Playoff and New Years 6 bowl projections:

Playoffs:

Orange Bowl – #1 Clemson v #4 Washington

Cotton Bowl – #2 Alabama v #3 Penn State

 

New Years Day Bowls:

Rose Bowl – #8 Ohio St v #9 Stanford

Peach Bowl – #11 UCF v # 12 FSU

Fiesta Bowl – #7 Auburn v #10 Wisconsin

Sugar Bowl – #5 Oklahoma v #6 Georgia

 

National Champ (Bay Area, CA) – Clemson v Alabama

National Champ = Clemson

2018 Pac 12 Preview

In 2018 the Pac 12 missed out on the playoffs for the 2nd time. This year the Pac 12 looks pretty top heavy, so if one of those top teams is able to make it through either unscathed or with only 1 loss, then they should be able to make it back to the playoffs this year.  Washington, USC, and Stanford return a healthy amount of talent and should be improved, as should Oregon. The rest of the conference should have a decent amount of parity, even with UCLA hiring of Chip Kelly, and the wonky set-up that Arizona State has with General Manager Herm Edwards.  It should be a good year for the Pac 12.

 

For each Conference we will have the Simplified Football predictions (record) with the Projected Win-Shares and rating of each team next to it.

 

Pac 12 Predictions:

North

Team – Record (Conf)  /  Win-Shares (Conf)  /  Rating

  1. Washington – 11-1 (9-0)  /  8.55 (6.20)  /  4.77
  2. Stanford – 10-2 (8-1)  /  8.32 (5.92)  /  4.76
  3. Oregon – 8-4 (5-4)  /  8.09 (5.19)  /  4.38
  4. California – 7-5 (5-4)  /  6.15 (4.05)  /  4.13
  5. Washington St – 6-6 (3-6)  /  5.84 (3.54)  /  3.90
  6. Oregon St – 3-9 (1-8)  /  4.5 (2.8)  /  3.57

South

Team – Record (Conf)  /  Win-Shares (Conf)  /  Rating

  1. USC – 9-3 (7-2)  /  8.38 (6.27)  /  4.63
  2. Arizona – 6-6 (4-5)  /  6.12 (4.07)  /  3.90
  3. Utah – 6-6 (3-6)  /  5.50 (3.38)  /  3.88
  4. UCLA – 5-7 (3-6)  /  6.58 (4.51)  /  4.23
  5. Colorado – 6-6 (3-6)  /  6.15 (4.25)  /  3.91
  6. Arizona St – 4-8 (3-6)  /  5.92 (3.82)  / 4.00

Washington v USC in the Championship game with Washington winning and advancing to the Playoffs. USC and Stanford are top 10 teams with Oregon vying for a top 25 spot. 9 teams from Pac 12 make a bowl game.

 

2017 Pac 12 Preview

The Pac 12 had one of their better seasons in recent memory according to most prognostications. We think this year will be another step forward. Pac 12 was able to send a team into the playoffs last year, getting knocked out in the first round. This year we think the Pac 12 will have 2 candidates for the playoffs going into the Pac12 Championship game, setting up a de-facto Quarterfinal playoff game (the winner gets in). Pac 12 should have 5 potential top 25 type teams. Washington despite losing a lot of talent, should be able to maintain their high level of play. USC should be able to take another step forward. The X-factor in the Pac 12 will be UCLA. We picked them to win the Pac 12 and make it to the Playoffs last year. We still think they have that kind of potential, but it will be up to Josh Rosen at QB who had a pretty humbling year last year, before exiting at the end of the season for surgery. If he performs to the level many experts think then UCLA can be in the playoff mix. If not they can be sitting at home during bowl season for a 2nd consecutive year.

 

For each Conference we will have the Simplified Football predictions (record) with the Projected Win-Shares and rating of each team next to it. We will also have Bowl Projections for each conference.

 

Pac 12 Predictions:

North

Team – Record (Conf)  /  Win-Shares (Conf)  /  Rating

  1. Washington – 11-1 (8-1)  /  9.14 (6.39)  /  4.80
  2. Stanford – 9-3 (6-3)  /  7.98 (5.64)  /  4.64
  3. Washington St – 7-5 (4-5)  /  6.85 (4.2)  /  4.16
  4. Oregon – 6-6 (4-5)  /  6.47 (4.27)  /  4.04
  5. Oregon St – 6-6 (4-5)  /  5.57 (3.51)  /  3.91
  6. California – 3-9 (2-7)  /  4.5 (2.9)  /  3.74

South

Team – Record (Conf)  /  Win-Shares (Conf)  /  Rating

  1. USC – 10-2 (8-1)  /  8.73 (6.53)  /  4.68
  2. UCLA – 8-4 (6-3)  /  8.22 (5.97)  /  4.49
  3. Utah – 7-5 (5-4)  /  6.17 (3.92)  /  4.03
  4. Arizona St – 8-4 (5-4)  /  7.71 (5.22)  /  4.42
  5. Arizona – 4-8 (2-7)  /  5.27 (3.0)  /  3.55
  6. Colorado – 4-8 (1-8)  /  5.12 (2.7)  /  3.65

 

Washington and USC win their divisions outright and meet in the Championship game.

 

Championship game – USC beats Washington in an exciting championship game.

 

 

That makes 9 bowl teams for the ACC

Sugar Bowl – USC (Playoff)

Fiesta Bowl – Washington

Alamo Bowl – Stanford

Holiday Bowl – UCLA

Foster Farms Bowl – Arizona St

Sun Bowl – Washington St

Las Vegas Bowl – Utah

Cactus Bowl – Oregon

Heart of Dallas Bowl – Oregon St

Pac 12 Preview and Predictions

For each of the conference Predictions I will put in both the Predicted Finish according to Win-Shares, as well as my own personal predictions (which are largely very similar).

 

Pac 12 Win-Shares

North

 

Oregon – 7.96 (5.63)

Stanford – 7.58 (5.38)

Washington – 7.64 (4.92)

Washington St – 5.72 (3.4)

California – 4.72 (3.1)

Oregon St – 4.65 (2.81)

 

South

 

UCLA – 8.78 (6.54)

So California – 7.87 (5.89)

Arizona – 7.56 (4.85)

Arizona St – 6.53 (4.25)

Utah – 6.3 (4.06)

Colorado – 4.77 (3.17)

 

UCLA over Oregon in the Championship game.

 

In the North it appears to be a 3 way race (which much of the media is predicting) between Washington, Oregon, and Stanford. In the South it will come down to UCLA and Southern Cal. Utah takes a significant drop as does Cal after losing the focal point of their offenses.

 

Simplified Football Predictions

North

 

Stanford = 10-2 (7.2)

Oregon = 9-3 (6-3)

Washington = 8-4 (5-4)

Washington St = 6-6 (4-5)

Oregon St = 4-8 (2-7)

California = 4-8 (2-7)

 

South

 

UCLA = 10-2 (8-1)

USC = 9-3 (7-2)

Arizona = 8-4 (5-4)

Utah = 7-5 (4-5)

Arizona St = 6-6 (3-6)

Colorado = 3-9 (1-8)

 

UCLA over Stanford in the Pac 12 Championship game.

 

SF has Stanford finishing ahead of Oregon in the North and the same outcome in the South (UCLA over USC). SF doesn’t have Utah falling as far and still making a bowl game at 7-5. The rest is pretty much as the Formula thinks.

 

That is 8 bowl teams for the Pac 12

Fiesta Bowl – UCLA (Playoff)

 

Rose Bowl – USC

Alamo Bowl – Stanford

Holiday Bowl – Oregon

Foster Farms – Washington

Sun Bowl – Arizona

Las Vegas – Arizona St

Cactus Bowl – Washington St

Week 8 Match Ups

4-2 again last week. On the season 21-15. Think this is a tricky week.

  1. Cal 34 – UCLA 31
  2. Clemson 28- Miami 24
  3. Oklahoma 42 – Texas Tech 28
  4. Ole Miss 38 – Texas A&M 34
  5. USC 35 – Utah 31

Week 7 Match Ups

Last week went 4-2, brings total on season to 17-13.

Had 6 games picked for the week, but wasn’t able to publish picks yesterday, so I will leave off the Stanford over UCLA pick as it’s a day late, and add the FSU v Louisville Game.

  1. Northwestern 17 – Iowa 14
  2. Michigan 24 – Michigan St 17
  3. Alabama 31 – Texas A&M 28
  4. LSU 24 – UF 17
  5. Notre Dame 38 – USC 28
  6. FSU 28 – Louisville 17

Week 6 Top Match-Ups

2 Weeks ago I was 3-3 which brings me to 13-11 on the season.

This weeks games:

  1. Clemson 24 – Georgia Tech 17: In a defensive battle Clemson is able to run the ball against GT and come out on top in this rivalry game.
  2. Michigan 17 – Northwestern 10: In a game that pits 2 of the better defensive teams, both with little offense, expect a very low scoring game. Michigan continues to impress in this game and comes up victorious.
  3. West Virginia 30 – Oklahoma St 28: In what will be the biggest defensive battle in the Big 12 this year, WVU is able to a tenacious OK St pass rush to win.
  4. Florida 24 – Missouri 17: Florida continues their assent to the top of the SEC East and is able to get a little more offense than Missouri in this game.
  5. Florida State 31 – Miami 21: Florida State is able to control the line of scrimmage and keeps the ball on the ground against Miami. The key will be turnovers. FSU has less turnovers than Miami.
  6. California 28 – Utah 24: Cal upsets Utah on the road, as Utah struggles to stop the Cal passing attack.

Week 2 Top Match-Ups

Last week was a very good start to the season getting all 6 games correct. This week there is only 5 match-ups, and one of them is a stretch to include in this. But there are 3 match-ups including Ranked teams, and 1 match-up of Group of 5 teams that could end up impacting the Playoff race.

 

Notre Dame @ Virginia

  • Notre Dame looked mighty impressive last week dismantling the Texas Longhorns. Virginia looked the opposite against UCLA. I included this game as I think there is a mild chance of an upset here with Virginia likely having a bounce-back game and looking better against Notre Dame than they did against UCLA. However in the end Notre Dame is just much more talented than UVA, and should pull away at the end. I do think Virginia’s defense will have some success against Notre Dame with Folston out for the year.
  • Notre Dame 28 – Virginia 14

Oklahoma @ Tennessee

  • I am a lot more bullish on Tennessee than most, and not sold on Oklahoma. Tennessee is more talented and is playing at home. A win here should solidify them as a top 25 team and people will start to talk about them in SEC East Championship circles. I don’t think this will be quite as high Scoring as many do. I think Tennessee out lasts Oklahoma and blasts Rocky Top all around campus all night long.
  • Tennessee 31 – Oklahoma 24

Oregon @ Michigan State

  • This is the biggest game of the day and the one with the most playoff implications on the line. A loss for either team could see them on the outside looking in, but won’t knock either from contention. Oregon is more talented overall, but Michigan State has quite a bit of talent. Both offenses looked very stellar and this should be a different looking game than last years. The score in this game could potentially get out of hand pretty quickly and perhaps approach 100. Although I think both offenses will be slow to start before gaining traction. Look for a very exciting 2nd half. In the end I think Oregon is just too much for Michigan St.
  • Oregon 42 – Michigan St 38

LSU @ Mississippi State

  • First SEC West match-up of the year. I do not think this one will disappoint. I am very high on LSU this year, and not so much for Mississippi State. However looking at the match-up I think Mississippi State matches up well with LSU and with it being at home (MORE COW BELLS??!!) I think Mississippi St could pull the upset. I think MSU’s front 7 on defense will be able to slow down Fournette and the LSU ground attack, which should severely limit what they do on Offense. In close games I like to go with the better QB. Miss St has the decided advantage in that category.
  • Mississippi St 24 – LSU 21

Boise St  @ BYU

  • Most when they see those 2 names would think you are going to get a lot of offense. However with Boise St having the #1 Defense (S&P) in the nation and BYU without QB Taysom Hill, and with Boise St’s offense looking pretty inept against Washington, I think this is going to be a low scoring affair.  This is a very even match-up with both teams having equal talent (slight advantage to Boise St). Both lines are matched up very evenly. I’m going with Boise St in a nail-biter, luck goes away from the Cougars this time as they fail to convert another Hail Mary (and luck stays with Boise St as they squeak out another win).
  • Boise St 21 – BYU 20