Colorado’s Odds to Win Pac-12 Continue to Shorten; Arizona, Washington & UCLA All Slightly Fade
- Oregon (+250) are the odds-on favorites to win the Pac-12
- UCLA has won the most Pac-12 regular season titles with 31
- Washington won the Pac-12 regular season title in 2018-19
With the college basketball season officially a week away, the oddsmakers have listed the Oregon Ducks as favorites to win the Pac-12 at +250, with Arizona and Washington not far behind.
In the Pac-12 conference title odds, Colorado’s odds continue to shorten as they are now at +700 after starting at +1200.
Although Oregon are favorites to win the conference, do they possess the best value amongst the high flying teams of the Pac-12?
2019-20 Pac-12 Conference Title Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Oregon | +250 |
| Arizona | +400 |
| Washington | +450 |
| Colorado | +700 |
| UCLA | +900 |
| Arizona State | +1000 |
| USC | +1400 |
| Utah | +2000 |
| Stanford | +2500 |
| Oregon State | +2500 |
| California | +3300 |
| Washington State | +5000 |
Odds taken October 29th
The Bol-Less Ducks
Oregon finished fifth in the regular season in 2018-19 but went onto upset Washington 68-48 to win the Pac-12 Tournament. This team has a much different look this year as Bol Bol, Kenny Wooten, and Louis King left school for the pros this off-season.
Losing those three starters (even though Bol Bol only played nine games) the Ducks are going to have to replace 40.3 points-per-game on the offensive end. With Dana Altman behind the bench, finding talent has never been an issue.
Oregon has five-star freshmen CJ Walker and N’Faly Dante coming in to boost this roster on both sides of the ball. Dante will only become eligible in December, as he reclassified late in the summer. UNLV transfer Shakur Juiston (10.8 PPG, 8.8 RPG) and New Mexico transfer Anthony Mathis (14.4 PPG) will be joining the Ducks this season as well.
Oregon finished its 2018-19 campaign with a Sweet 16 loss to Virginia after winning ten games in a row before that. One of the key returnees for the Ducks is point guard Payton Pritchard, who will be one of the best point guards in the Pac-12 this season.
With so many new faces joining this team, I can’t see Oregon putting together the best regular season record in this conference. Although Oregon was one of the best teams in the country come late March, it took a lot of climbing back from sluggish play to get there.
The Other Guys
Arizona, Washington, and UCLA hope to give Oregon a run for their money this year. The last team to win back-to-back regular season Pac-12 titles was Arizona in 2014-15.
Last season was a year to forget for the Wildcats, as they finished with a 17-15 record overall and an 8-10 record in the Pac-12.
However, the Wildcats should have a lot of optimism coming into this season as they locked down two five-star freshmen in Nico Mannion and Josh Green. The loss of Brandon Williams is tough, but UC-Irvine grad transfer, Max Hazzard, will give the backcourt a much-needed boost.
Washington lost the 2018-19 Pac-12 Player of the Year, Jaylen Nowell this offseason, but they have a crop of young talent coming in to minimize the loss.
Isaiah Stewart and Jaden McDaniels will start for the Huskies down low this season, to boast one of the best frontcourts in the Pac-12. The backcourt has some question marks, but that will all change when Kentucky transfer Quade Green is eligible in December.
Mick Cronin is the new head coach at UCLA but will face a much different test than coaching at Cincinnati. The Pac-12 will be a different pace for Cronin as he is used to a more slow-paced defensive style game. The Bruins have two promising young guns in Tyger Campbell and Shareef O’Neal that could help Cronin adjust in his new conference this season.
Don’t Sleep on the Buffs
The Colorado Buffaloes surprised a lot of people at the end of last year finishing 9-2 in their last 11 games. They did end up finishing with an 18-13 regular season record and an 8-10 conference record, but there is a lot of optimism surrounding this team coming into this year.
McKinley Wright is an absolute stud at point guard, and he is complimented well by forward Tyler Bey down low. The difference between Colorado and the other Pac-12 teams is that they do not have a Nico Mannion or CJ Walker carrying their team game in and game out.
With almost every player returning from last year, this team has the depth and experience to make a run late in the season like they did last year. Colorado earned 288 points in the preseason media poll, which is the most the team has ever received since joining the Pac-12 in 2011.
There is obvious belief that this team can win the Pac-12 this season, and at +700 they are a great value pick to bet on.
Best Bet: Colorado +700
With 5+ years of sports journalism under his belt, Ryan Sura may be young, but he's already making his mark. Ryan is the lead NHL editor at SBD, along with managing content for MMA, Boxing, and Racing. He is also the commercial manager, highlighting the best promos at online sportsbooks across US.
