Preseason Pac-12 Football Predictions for 2021

With Pac-12 Football Media Day just around the corner, we asked our five senior football writers to give us their preseason Pac-12 football predictions for 2021.

The Conference’s 43rd season is scheduled to begin on August 28, when Hawaii travels to UCLA. It will culminate on December 3 in the title game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.

How will it all shake out? Our Pac-12 football experts offer their bold prognostications for the North and South divisions, the Championship Game, and a Surprise Team.

In the tables below, we’ve compiled the results of their picks into composite rankings, with the selections of each writer—Dane Miller, Jack Follman, Nick Bartlett, Stephen Vilardo, and Chris Courtney—broken out for reference.

Despite their various differences of opinion, all five agreed unanimously on three picks: First and Second Place in the North, and Sixth Place in the South.

The remaining choices for schools from Southern California, Arizona, Colorado and Utah were far less consistent. That’s not surprising, considering how wide-open the race for that division figures to be in this post-pandemic season.

Three different teams were selected to win the South. Two writers picked one of those teams to finish fourth. And this year, a single loss may be all that separates the two places.

Only one writer varied from his peers in picking the championship winner. By contrast, four writers selected a different surprise team to exceed expectations. Of course, there will be surprise disappointments as well.

The question of whether the champion will earn a spot in the College Football Playoff will have to wait a couple of weeks: We’ll be releasing our bowl projections in early August.

Feel free to make your own 2021 preseason Pac-12 football predictions via Twitter at @SportsPac12. You can engage the writers there as well, and at @DaneMiller_SP12, @JackFollman, @WordsByBartlett, @StephenVilardo, and @csquared02.


Composite North Division Predictions

North
1. Oregon
2. Washington
3. Cal
4. Stanford
5. WSU
6. OSU

North Division Writer Selections

Dane MillerJack FollmanNick BartlettStephen VilardoChris Courtney
1.OregonOregonOregonOregonOregon
2.WashingtonWashingtonWashingtonWashingtonWashington
3.StanfordOSUCalCalCal
4.CalCalStanfordStanfordWSU
5.WSUWSUOSUWSUStanford
6.OSUStanfordWSUOSUOSU

Composite South Division Predictions

South
1. USC
2. Utah
3. ASU
4. UCLA
5. Colorado
6. Arizona

South Division Writer Selections

Dane MillerJack FollmanNick BartlettStephen VilardoChris Courtney
1.USCASUUSCUSCUtah
2.ASUUSCUtahUCLAUSC
3.UtahUtahASUUtahUCLA
4.ColoradoUCLAUCLAASUASU
5.UCLAColoradoColoradoColoradoColorado
6.ArizonaArizonaArizonaArizonaArizona

Composite Champion and Surprise Team

Team
ChampionOregon
Surprise TeamUCLA

Champion and Surprise Team Writer Selections

Dane MillerJack FollmanNick BartlettStephen VilardoChris Courtney
ChampionOregonOregonUSCOregonOregon
Surprise TeamStanfordWashingtonColoradoUCLAUCLA



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