No Clear-Cut Betting Favorite in Pac-12 Football; Cal a Long Shot

The other Power 5 conferences have an overwhelming favorite in sportsbooks, but no team stands out in Pac-12. Several teams, like the Golden Bears, have attractive long odds.

CBS Sports' David Cobb notes that the Pac-12 is the only Power 5 conference that does not have a preseason betting favorite with negative odds. In other words, no Pac-12 team is an overwhelming favorite to win the conference title – at least in the eyes of bettors.

The favorites in the other four major conferences all have a heavy favorites, i.e., one with negatives odds, according to William Hill Sportsbook – Clemson in the ACC at -800, Ohio State in the Big Ten at -200, Oklahoma in the Big 12 at -140 and Alabama in the SEC at -140.

The Pac-12 co-favorites – at least for bettors – are Oregon and USC, both at +275.

More significant perhaps is the fact that seven of the 12 teams have odds of +1500 or higher, which means there might be some attractive long-shot wagers. And Cobb points out below that Cal, at +4000, might be an appealing long shot. The Bears have much longer odds than Colorado, Stanford and Washington State, which is a bit surprising.

(A negative-odds number means a winning bet will earn less than the amount of the wager. For example, odds of -800 are the same as 1-to-8 odds and a winning $10 bet would net only $1.25. A winning bet with a positive-odds number would earn more than the amount of the wager. For example, a winning $10 bet at +275 odds would earn $27.50.)

Here are the William Hill Sportsbook odds for each Pac-12 team, with CBS Sports recommendations below them:

USC: +275 (or 11-to-4)

Oregon: +275 (or 11-to-4)

Washington: +325 (or 13-to-4)

Arizona State: +450 (or 9-to-2)

UCLA: +1200 (or 12-to-1)

Utah: +1400 (14-to-1)

Stanford: +1500 (or 15-to-1)

Colorado: +2500 (or 15-to-1)

Washington State: +2500 (or 25-to-1)

Cal: +4000 (or 40-to-1)

Oregon State: +6000 (or 60-to-1)

Arizona: +10000 (or 100-to-1)

Cobb lists USC as the best bet, Utah as the best value bet, Arizona State as the worst bet, and Cal as a long-shot pick, saying this about the Golden Bears:

Long shot -- California (+4000): Either there is a concerning amount of delusion within Cal's program or the odds here are a miscalculation by Las Vegas, because the Bears believe they have a serious opportunity to make the Rose Bowl. Don't believe me? Go watch their spring game and listen to the interviews and the broadcast, and you'll quickly realize what the standard is this season. This squad bore the brunt of COVID-19 regulations last season during an abbreviated 1-3 campaign that fell well short of lofty expectations, and it feels like those expectations have simply rolled over to this season for those within the program. The defense has been solid under Justin Wilcox and returns some proven veterans in key positions. If the offense can click under second-year coordinator Bill Musgrave, watch out.

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Cover photo of USC and Oregon in 2020 Pac-12 championship game by Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports

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Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53

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