Pac-12 Notes – UCLA Week

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Pac-12 Notes – UCLA Week

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October 27th

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Best/worst case scenarios for Pac-2/Pac-10

From the San Jose Mercury News … Now that the collapse is official, they all want the Beavers and Cougars to succeed.

But they also want the divorce to be fair to both sides, and one aspect, in particular, was raised recently by a Hotline source: The outgoing schools don’t believe OSU and WSU should be allowed to keep all the assets and then shutter the conference.

How might that happen?

The grant-of-rights term ends on Aug. 1, 2024, so let’s use that date as our benchmark.

The scenario the ‘Pac-10’ want to avoid is the following:

— Either through the lawsuit or mediation, OSU and WSU are allowed to keep all Pac-12 assets, which include more than $60 million in NCAA Tournament units and potentially two years of massive Rose Bowl and College Football Playoff revenue.

— On Aug. 1, 2024, the 10 schools announce they are officially leaving the conference.

— On Aug. 2, 2024, tens of millions of dollars in assets are transferred from the conference coffers to the OSU and WSU bank accounts.

— On Aug. 3, 2024, the Beavers and Cougars announce they are joining the Mountain West.

The outbound schools believe that outcome would be grossly inappropriate. There are assuredly other sticking points in the negotiations, but we believe that scenario is No. 1 on the list.

Also important: The distribution plan for College Football Playoff revenue is not guaranteed. The CFP is waiting for the outcome of the Pac-12 legal dispute before making any possible adjustments to its format and financial models.

What scenario might satisfy both sides?

The ‘Pac-10’ cannot force the ‘Pac-2’ to rebuild the conference or settle on any single scenario. Perhaps an equal division of whatever CFP revenue is available — again, that piece is unknown — for the 2024-25 seasons? We are merely guessing.

The entire situation is unfortunate and features stress on both sides. The ‘Pac-2’ need resolution sooner than later so they can make plans for next season. Meanwhile, the ‘Pac-10’ are loath to divulge internal documents in discovery because of potentially sensitive communications with their new conferences.

How does it end?

It’s difficult to imagine the ‘Pac-10’ allowing a judge based in Whitman County, Wash., which includes Pullman, deciding the fate of the conference.

If mediation doesn’t work, several outbound schools could respond by seeking temporary restraining orders in their home states.

And if that’s the next step, a big mess becomes much, much bigger.

… Continue reading story here …

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October 26th

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CBS: Unless CU found new defensive linemen over the break, UCLA should roll the Buffs

From CBS Sports … Colorado vs. UCLA: Need to know

Battle of playmakers: Colorado and UCLA possess legitimate NFL talent on both sides of the ball. Sanders’ mastery of the nation’s No. 3 passing offense has moved him up to No. 18 in the CBS Sports NFL Draft Prospect Rankings, and combo cornerback-wide receiver Travis Hunter is a surefire first-round draft pick in 2025. For UCLA, defensive end Laiatu Latu ranks No. 13 and Gabriel Murphy sits at No. 99 in the prospect rankings. Running back Carson Steele and wide receiver J. Michael Sturdivant also have serious NFL futures when they leave school.

Dominant defense: Chip Kelly teams are historically known for their offense, but first-year defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn has quickly turned around the defensive unit. The Bruins rank No. 11 nationally in total yards per game and No. 8 in yards per play. Latu has grown into a potential first-round NFL Draft pick, posting 6.5 sacks, 6.0 quarterback hurries and an interception in seven games. UCLA ranks No. 8 nationally with 24 sacks, potentially an unbeatable number for a struggling Colorado offensive line.

Running out of steam: Colorado started the year with a 3-0 record and wins over TCU and Nebraska. However, things have slowly started unraveling since a double-overtime win over Colorado State. The Buffs have since gone 1-3 since with the only win coming against Arizona State, and the Sun Devils have yet to beat an FBS team in 2023. The schedule only gets more difficult with three ranked opponents in the final five games, including the battle against No. 23 UCLA. Colorado needs to win two more games to reach bowl eligibility.

Colorado vs. UCLA prediction, picks: Colorado has played well against teams it can bait into shootouts, but UCLA is not that kind of team. The Bruins have held their Pac-12 opponents to just 18.5 points per game and boast a top-10 rushing offense to control games. Unless the Buffaloes found some new defensive linemen to counter the run over the bye week, UCLA should be able to bowl over the Buffs with ease. Pick: UCLA -17

… Read full story here …

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Michigan State joins ASU and Stanford in CBS Sports Bottom 25

From CBS Sports … Just two years ago, Michigan State ended October with a 37-33 win over then-No. 6 Michigan that made the Spartans 8-0 and catapulted them to No. 5 in the AP Top 25 under second-year coach Mel Tucker. This year, the Spartans are heading into their final game of October at 2-5 and fresh off a 49-0 loss to the Wolverines. It was the most lopsided game in the annual series since 1947 and the biggest home loss for Michigan State in a century of football played at Spartan Stadium.

Tucker was fired for cause last month amid an ugly scandal, and the program he appeared to be building into a national contender just two years ago is just 7-12 over the past two seasons. Life comes at you fast in the Big Ten, and Michigan State can’t get out of its own way.

Not only did the Spartans take a historic home loss on the field Saturday night. They also took a loss off the field when an image of Hitler made its way onto the video board during a pregame quiz show. The incident has prompted two apologies from the administration and only added to the malaise afflicting a rudderless football program.

So, without further ado, please welcome Michigan State to the Bottom 25.

… Teams from Power Five conferences … 

25 … Vanderbilt … 2-6 … Vanderbilt is just 1-7 against the point spread as it heads to No. 12 Ole Miss coming off a bye week. The Commodores are 25.5-point underdogs. Surely they can keep it within that margin since the Rebels will be interested in self-preservation ahead of crucial conference showdowns with Texas A&M and Georgia. (Last week: 24)

24 … Michigan State … 2-5 … In addition to falling 49-0 at home to rival Michigan, the Spartans also had to issue a pair of apologies for showing an image of Hitler on their video board before the game. As if the embarrassment of recently fired coach Mel Tucker’s behavior wasn’t enough, Michigan State just keeps taking Ls on and off the field. (NR)

23 … Indiana … 2-5 … We grilled Indiana here last week, so let’s give the Hoosiers some credit this time. Despite being outscored 83-21 in losses to Michigan in Rutgers the past two weeks, IU scored first in both games. That’s about all the positive spin you can find with this team, and it isn’t much. (25)

21 … Stanford … 2-5 … The glory of a stunning comeback win at Colorado wore off quickly as the Cardinal fell 42-7 vs. UCLA on Saturday. The Bruins racked up 503 total yards while the Cardinal contributed to their own demise with 10 penalties totaling 113 yards. It was an ugly reminder of the ground Stanford must make up to be a future ACC title contender. (NR)

17 … Arizona State … 1-6 … If moral victories were a stat, Arizona State would lead the nation. First-year coach Kenny Dillingham inherited a dry cupboard from Herm Edwards, brought in a slew of mostly unremarkable transfers and has been rocked by injuries. Yet, the Sun Devils are competitive almost every week. On Saturday night, they outplayed No. 5 Washington through three quarters before falling 15-7. (21)

… Read full story here …

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October 25th

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“Pac-2” lawsuit filings geared to gaining control of $50 million in Pac-12 funds

From the San Jose Mercury News … Last fall, a few months after USC and UCLA announced they were leaving the Pac-12 behind, the conference office created a “Briefing Book” for the member universities. Marked “highly confidential,” the digital document included a section titled “Introduction to the Pac-12 Board of Directors” that featured the names of the presidents and chancellors, along with a picture of each. There was no mention of the Los Angeles schools.

The exclusion of USC’s Carol Folt and UCLA’s Gene Block from the “Briefing Book” illustrates how the Pac-12 treated the presidents and chancellors of the outgoing schools — treatment that now stands at the heart of a legal dispute over control of the conference.

The latest development unfolded Wednesday in Whitman County (Wash.) Superior Court, where attorneys for Washington State and Oregon State filed a motion for a preliminary injunction designed to ensure that the outgoing schools lose their seats, leaving the presidents of WSU and OSU as the only members of the Pac-12’s governing board.

“Today Oregon State and Washington State asked the court to confirm the departing schools lost their Board seats following their notices of withdrawal from the conference,” the two schools said in a joint statement.

“The evidence we have uncovered thus far in discovery overwhelmingly shows this is consistent with the position that the conference and the departing members themselves had taken up until just weeks before Oregon State and Washington State were forced to file our litigation.”

That evidence, presented in an expedited discovery process, includes not only the “Briefing Book” but also two sworn statements by commissioner George Kliavkoff that USC and UCLA were removed from the board of directors after the thunderous news of their departures on June 30, 2022.

… If the two remaining schools are declared the only board members, they would control the Pac-12’s assets, including more than $50 million in future NCAA Tournament payouts, and could use the money to fortify their athletic departments and possibly rebuild the league.

The 10 schools heading to the Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC next summer “are committed to competitors and have no incentive to invest in the Pac-12’s future,” according to the motion.

“Absent a preliminary injunction, nothing would stop the ten departing schools from seizing control of the Conference and distributing its assets to themselves on their way out the door.”

… Continue reading story here …

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October 23rd

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Chip Kelly refuses to name starting quarterback for CU game

From ESPN … UCLA coach Chip Kelly is not a financial advisor, but he seems to believe past performance does not guarantee future results.

While quarterback Ethan Garbers returned to the starting lineup and delivered an effective performance in the No. 23 Bruins’ 42-7 win at Stanford, it does not mean the fourth-year junior will be the first man up against Colorado on Saturday.

Kelly reiterated his belief UCLA (5-2, 2-2 Pac-12) has three quarterbacks capable of playing at a high level in Garbers, freshman Dante Moore and Kent State transfer Collin Schlee.

“And we’re one of the fortunate teams in the country, we have depth at quarterback,” Kelly said Monday. “I believe Ethan’s a starter at the Power 5 level, Dante’s a starter at the Power 5 level, and Collin Schlee’s a starter at the Power 5 level, so that’s a luxury that not a lot of people have.”

Garbers was 20-of-28 passing for 240 yards and two touchdowns with 51 yards rushing against the Cardinal.

Garbers had seen his playing time decrease significantly after starting the season opener against Coastal Carolina. He threw two interceptions in that win, allowing Moore to take hold of the position with multiple explosive throws during the nonconference slate.

But Moore struggled in conference play. He completed 45.5% of his attempts for 689 yards and three touchdowns against six interceptions in the three previous games, each against Pac-12 opponents who were ranked at the time.

Kelly insisted the change at quarterback was made because Moore was dealing with an undisclosed injury last week and not because of those struggles.

“It was at the beginning of the week Ethan got a lot more reps in practice because Dante was banged up, so over the course of the week we decided we were going to go with Ethan,” Kelly said.

… Continue reading story here …

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October 22nd

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Pac-12 keeps six in the Top 25; USC drops to No. 24

From ESPN … Georgia extended its streak of No. 1 rankings in The Associated Press college football poll to 19 straight weeks, the third best in the history of the rankings, and Alabama moved back into the top 10 on Sunday.

The Bulldogs received 38 of 63 first-place votes, their second-lowest total of the season, after an off week but still bested No. 2 Michigan, 1,536 points to 1,504.

Georgia’s No. 1 streak, which started on Oct. 9, 2022, is behind only Miami’s streak of 21 weeks from 2001 to 2002 and USC’s 33 in a row from 2003 to 2005.

The Wolverines received 19 first-place votes after their latest blowout, 49-0 against Michigan State on Saturday night. Michigan was unfazed after a week in which it was revealed the program is being investigated by the NCAA for a sign-stealing scheme that allegedly involved impermissible in-person scouting.

Ohio State held steady at No. 3 after winning a top-10 matchup with Penn State. The Nittany Lions slipped three spots to 10th. The Buckeyes received three first-place votes, as did No. 4 Florida State.

No. 5 Washington and No. 6 Oklahoma held their spots after close calls against unranked teams at home. No. 7 Texas and No. 8 Oregon each moved up a spot.

No. 9 Alabama returned to the top 10 after falling out in mid-September, which snapped a streak of 128 top-10 appearances that dated back to 2015. The Crimson Tide beat Tennessee for their sixth straight victory. The Volunteers dropped four spots to No. 21.

Others receiving votes: Florida 34, Liberty 17, Kansas St. 16, Miami 12, Fresno St. 8, Oklahoma St. 5, Toledo 3, Kentucky 2, Rutgers 2, UNLV 1, Wisconsin 1

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No. 25 UCLA has no problem maintaining halftime lead over Stanford, wins 42-7

From ESPN … Carson Steele ran for three touchdowns to stake No. 25 UCLA to an early 21-point lead on his 21st birthday and the Bruins went on to beat Stanford 42-7 on Saturday night.

“That’s pretty cool,” Steele said. “It’s awesome how little things like that kind of work. But just being able to jump out and drive and kind of hold them down.”

Steele capped the first two drives of the game for the Bruins (5-2, 2-2 Pac-12) with short TD runs and added a third later in the first half to open a 21-0 lead over the Cardinal (2-5, 1-4). He finished with 76 yards on the ground to make life easy on new quarterback Ethan Garbers.

UCLA coach Chip Kelly made a switch at quarterback after freshman Dante Moore struggled in recent weeks and handed it back over to Garbers, who started the season opener. Garbers went 20 for 28 for 240 yards, throwing TD passes to J. Michael Sturdivant and Moliki Matavao in the third quarter.

“I thought Ethan played really well tonight,” Kelly said. “We’ve always felt like we’ve had depth at the quarterback spot. … I’m really pleased with Ethan today, but I don’t think anything that Ethan did surprised any of us on our staff or any of our players because we see that on a daily basis.”

Stanford was unable to follow up last week’s school-record comeback against Colorado with another strong effort. The Cardinal have lost 18 of their last 20 conference games.

“Our margin for victory is thin,” coach Troy Taylor said. “We’ve got to start off faster. We just have to.”

Garbers completed all four passes on the opening drive to move the Bruins down the field and Steele finished it off with a 2-yard run.

He then completed a 45-yard to Hudson Habermehl to open UCLA’s next possession before Steele ran on the next two plays, scoring on an 8-yard run that made it 14-0.

After having a field goal blocked on their third possession, the Bruins drove 97 yards to score on Steele’s 3-yard run midway through the second quarter and the game was never in doubt after that.

… Continue reading story here …

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Utah beats USC for the fourth straight time on Cole Becker game-winning field goal

From ESPN … Bryson Barnes dropped back, stepped up through the Southern California rush and took off downfield. The Utah quarterback ducked, dodged and finally went down inside the USC 20 with 5 seconds to play, putting the Utes in perfect field position for the winning field goal.

Caleb Williams could only watch and admire while Utah’s third-string quarterback essentially ended the Heisman Trophy winner’s national championship dreams.

Cole Becker made a 38-yard field goal as time expired, and No. 14 Utah blew an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter before rallying for a thrilling 34-32 victory over No. 18 USC on Saturday night.

After Williams ran for an 11-yard touchdown with 1:46 left to punctuate a big comeback by the Trojans (6-2, 4-1 Pac-12), Barnes led Utah’s winning drive with that spectacular 26-yard scramble to get the Utes (6-1, 3-1) well into range for Becker’s winner. Utah wildly celebrated its narrow escape with its traveling fans at the Coliseum, where Williams and Lincoln Riley had never lost.

“We really took over there for a while, and we got a little soft at the end,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. “But you know, they’ve got a Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback, so they’re going to make some things, and that’s just the way it is. But we’ve got ourselves a pig farmer at quarterback, and we’re proud of that guy, too. What a warrior he is.”

Indeed, Barnes — who famously grew up raising pigs in southern Utah — passed for a career-high 235 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for another score. He also shook off a fourth-quarter pick-6 and led the Utes’ offense to a season-high 482 yards while they extended their winning streak over USC to four games.

“Bryson is gonna be Bryson,” said running back Ja’Quinden Jackson, who had 117 yards rushing. “He’s a competitor. He’s smart. We definitely believe in the guy.”

Two-way sensation Sione Vaki caught two touchdown passes and accounted for 217 total yards for the Utes, but they barely survived an impressive Trojans rally.

After Zachariah Branch’s 61-yard punt return set up Williams’ go-ahead TD run to put the Trojans in front 32-31, Utah mounted a drive that included Jackson’s fourth-and-1 conversion run to the USC 40. Barnes made the decisive scramble one play later.

“It was a good heavyweight battle,” said Riley, who is 17-5 at USC with three losses to Whittingham’s Utes. “Two good football teams going at it, and it came down to the last play. Locker room is pretty torn up right now, as it should be. Had two tough losses in a row, and not how any of us scripted this. But you can’t script it. It’s college football. Comes down to little things here and there, and we haven’t played clean enough in the last couple of weeks.”

… Continue reading story here …

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October 20th

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What will it take for USC to break the Utah jinx?

From ESPN … If there is a feeling of déjà vu around USC this week, it’s rooted in a harsh reality.

For the second season in a row under Lincoln Riley, USC won its first six games of the season only to drop its seventh. There are similarities: Both losses were on the road, both came after dominant offensive starts to the season and questionable defensive performances. Both came after close calls in previous games, rescued in large part by the play of Caleb Williams.

But there are differences too. Last year’s loss to Utah in Salt Lake City went down to the wire, with USC having a chance to win the game with a stop as well as a winning drive. Neither materialized. Despite cutting down the lead to 11 points on separate occasions in the second half last week, USC looked outmatched for 60 minutes in nearly every facet of the game against Notre Dame. Even USC players and coaches could not hide from that fact this week or that the loss had been coming.

“We came out flat,” safety Jaylin Smith said. “Energy wasn’t there how it should be.”

“We know we haven’t been at our best for a few weeks,” Riley said in his weekly YouTube show. “We haven’t been clicking quite on all cylinders. We’re very aware.”

Last season, the close mid-season loss seemed to jolt USC into a higher level of play. The Trojans proceeded to go 5-0 to finish out the regular season and arrive at the Pac-12 championship with the eventual Heisman Trophy winner leading them. This year, despite a tougher schedule that features Utah, Washington, Oregon and UCLA, they’re hoping for a similar stretch run.

“I would say it’s been kind of a coming together moment and really just saying, ‘Okay, we know what we need to work on,'” Williams said of the loss. “Obviously we’re not happy with what happened last week, but at the end of the day we got to go on a run.”

… Continue reading story here …

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October 18th

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Jon Wilner “Bold” second-half Pac-12 predictions: Buff fans celebrate missing the post-season

From the San Jose Mercury News … Earlier this week, the Hotline offered our midseason review, a look at the best and worst of the Pac-12 at the halfway point of fall like no other.

Now, let’s cast an eye to what should be a riveting stretch run.

The conference has six ranked teams, three Heisman Trophy contenders, a handful of playoff hopefuls and loads of high-profile games on the schedule.

Presenting our predictions for the second half, in rough chronological order.

2. Oregon State and Washington State settle their lawsuit against the Pac-12 before the preliminary injunction hearing in Whitman County, Wash., on Nov. 14. The plaintiffs and defendants agree to a bifurcated governance structure in which an independent arbiter determines which issues impact all 12 schools and which affect only the ‘Pac-2.’ The source of the arbiter’s unlikely success? He’s equally disliked by both sides of the dispute. His name: Larry Scott.

7. ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’ broadcasts from Eugene on the morning of the USC-Oregon game. The guest picker: Gonzaga basketball coach Mark Few. The 1987 Oregon graduate picks the Ducks to win, then uses the occasion to announce Gonzaga will join the Big 12.

11. Arizona State goes winless in conference play for the first time since joining the Pac-12 in 1978 as the injuries and postseason ban are too great to overcome. When the season ends, the NCAA slaps the Sun Devils with minor penalties for recruiting violations and calls the administration’s self-imposed sanctions excessive. “Bowl bans are so pre-COVID. We don’t do that stuff anymore.”

12. Arizona clinches a bowl berth for the first time since 2017 behind freshman quarterback Noah Fifita. The Big 12 promptly rescinds its membership invitation and explains that the Wildcats joined the conference under false pretenses, having claimed to be a basketball school.

13. Colorado misses the postseason despite the 3-0 start and spending a month at the center of the sport. CU fans everywhere rejoice as the late-season collapse makes coach Deion Sanders less attractive for openings across college football, the NFL and the Biden Administration.

14. Commissioner George Kliavkoff refuses to hold a news conference prior to the Pac-12 championship game, continuing a stretch of radio silence that began with the collapse of the conference on Aug. 4. Nobody cares.

15. One-loss Washington defeats one-loss Oregon in the conference title game and reaches the College Football Playoff, with the Ducks accepting a Fiesta Bowl invitation as the consolation prize. The Huskies’ victory is made possible when Oregon, leading by six points in the final minute, attempts to convert fourth-and-17 from its own 20. The off-tackle run fails, and UW scores the winning touchdown.

… Read full story here …

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October 17th 

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CU trip to the Rose Bowl to face UCLA sold out 

Based up the “tarps” UCLA is using to cover end zone seats, capacity will be 67,066 … For the Rose Bowl in January, capacity is over 100,000 … UCLA’s last home game, a 25-17 over undefeated and 13th-ranked Washington State, drew 35,437 …

UCLA is capping ticket sales at 67,066,which would make it the second-largest crowd for a Colorado football game in the last 5 years (67,969 at Washington last year). It’s also the third-most tickets sold for a UCLA home game since 2016 (the other two games being games against cross-town rival USC) …

… With the sellout, and CU’s next two games being sellouts (home games against Oregon State and Arizona), the Buffs will play before ten sellout crowds to start the season … the highest total of sellouts to watch the Buffs was previously set during the 1990 national championship season, with five …

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U.S. Senate holding hearings on making athletes employees: “College football is in absolute chaos”

From ESPN … At a Senate hearing Tuesday, NCAA president Charlie Baker shifted the focus of college sports’ needs toward the possibility of athletes being deemed employees of their schools and away from federal legislation to regulate how they can be compensated for their fame.

Baker, Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick were among the witnesses appearing in front of the Judiciary Committee, the 10th hearing on college sports to be held on Capitol Hill since 2020.

Also appearing were former Florida gymnast Trinity Thomas; Walker Jones, who runs the booster-funded collective that supports University of Mississippi athletes; Saint Joseph’s athletic director Jill Bodensteiner; and Ramogi Huma, a longtime advocate for college athletes.

Baker said in his opening statement that college sports are “overdue for change.”

“But I am proud to say we are doing something about that,” he said.

Baker, the former governor of Massachusetts, touted recent reforms by the NCAA, including more long-term health insurance for athletes, degree completion funds for up to 10 years and scholarship protections.

He also told the committee the NCAA was moving forward with its own regulations for name, image and likeness compensation deals for athletes.

Baker, his predecessor, Mark Emmert and other college sports leaders have been lobbying Congress for help with a federal law to regulate NIL compensation since before the NCAA lifted its ban on NIL payments to athletes in 2021. Several bills have been introduced or made public, including a few bipartisan efforts in recent months, but nothing has gained traction despite what many have referred to as an untenable situation.

“Utah is offering everybody on the team a new truck,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). “Between the [transfer] portal and NIL, college football is in absolute chaos.”

… Continue reading story here …

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October 16th

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CU/Stanford game the most-watched Friday night game of the season 

Top 11 Friday games this year
Stanford/Colorado – 3.29 Million – ESPN
Kansas State/Oklahoma State – 2.27 Million – ESPN
Louisville/NC State – 1.89 Million – ESPN
Tulane/Memphis – 1.72 Million – ESPN
Louisville/Ga Tech – 1.65 Million – ESPN
NC State/Virginia – 1.59 Million – ESPN
Illinois/Iowa State – 1.36 Million – ESPN2
Nebraska/Illinois – 1.36 Million – FS1
Utah/Oregon State – 1.28 Million – FS1
Cincy/BYU – 1.23 Million – ESPN
Wisconsin/Purdue – 1.19 Million – FS1

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Washington national championship odds now on par with those of Ohio State and Florida State

From the San Jose Mercury News … Washington’s epic victory over Oregon enhanced the program’s profile, elevated quarterback Michael Penix Jr.’s Heisman Trophy campaign and strengthen coach Kalen DeBoer’s negotiating leverage for a contract extension.

But it had a contracting effect on the Huskies in one regard: Their national championship odds.

UW’s odds of winning the College Football Playoff have dropped significantly in the past 48 hours, showing rising confidence in the Huskies.

The Huskies were 13-to-1 to win the title prior to kickoff on Saturday afternoon. Today, they are 9-to-1 and on the same tier as Florida State and Ohio State, according to the latest odds from BetMGM.

Here are the 10 betting favorites:

Georgia: 11-to-4
Michigan: 3-to-1
Florida State: 9-to-1
Ohio State: 9-to-1
Washington: 9-to-1
Penn State: 13-to-1
Oklahoma: 14-to-1
Alabama: 18-to-1
Texas: 18-to-1
Oregon: 25-to-1

Those numbers track with other major sportsbooks.

The Huskies are 9.5-to-1 to win the title at FanDuel and 8-to-1 at DraftKings.

Bovada is more optimistic, placing UW’s odds at 7.5-to-1.

And if you’re curious, USC is now 80-to-1 at BetMGM following the blowout loss at Notre Dame.

Prior to the wipeout, the Trojans were 22-to-1

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This post, about the UCLA game, from the 2023 Season, is filed under Article.
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