COLLEGE FOOTBALL TODAY 21
The Favorite
Washington is the favorite here as the Huskies should
challenge for a playoff berth or the second time in three
seasons. There is a lot riding on the opener against
Auburn in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta.
A win there would put Chris Petersen’s team in position
to go on a championship run. With a swarming defense
and quarterback Jake Browning and with explosive
playmakers around Browning, they have the pieces to
make a run to the playoffs. USC is a close second and
will definitely push for the top spot.
The Forgotten
Oregon State has fallen off of the map, having not been to
a bowl since 2013. The Beavers have just 12 wins in the
last four seasons. Gary Andersen is 3-24 in Pac 12 play
and went 0-9 last year with a 1-11 overall record. Yet
Andersen is still the head coach and coaching to keep his
job yet again in 2018.
The Dark Horse
Stanford has one of the best defensive head coaches in all
of football in David Shaw. With playmakers on both sides
of the ball and the preseason Heisman frontrunner in
Bryce Love, the Cardinal could easily outperform preseason
expectations as they quite often do. Combine all
of that together you could see the Cardinal as conference
champions when it is all said and done.
On the Hot Seat
Colorado won the Pac-12 South in 2016, but a 5-7
campaign last year put the Buffaloes back at the bottom
of the Pac-12 South for the fourth time in five years under
head coach Mike MacIntyre. With three teams in the
division breaking in first-year coaches, Colorado needs
to show progress in 2018.