Oddsmakers have released win totals for the 2016 college football season.
I’ll take a look at each power conference and pick the teams with the best chances to earn the over and the under. Here’s my look at two teams in the Pac-12 destined for the under in 2016.
Washington State Cougars, over/under 7.5 (-110 over/-110 under)
Is it me, or is basically every team in the Pac-12 pretty much the same? Many of the teams look about like a six to eight win team and Washington State is no exception.
The Cougars return Luke Falk, a quarterback that last year became another stat monster in the long line of Mike Leach Air Raid QBs. In fact, there’s plenty of offensive talent.
But that’s never a problem with Leach. The biggest issue is if they can stop anyone? In the Pac-12 last season, the Cougars allowed 28 or more points in six of nine games during a season in which they won eight regular season games that featured victories at Oregon, at Arizona and at UCLA.
That’s no small task, but I can’t expect that same success two years in a row. The Cougars eclipsed 7.5 wins by .5, and won those kinds of games last season. They would have to do it again, with games on the road against Boise State, Stanford and Arizona State, and home games against UCLA, Oregon, Arizona and Washington.
That schedule is awful and the primary reason why I’m not buying into Washington State’s stock this season. — Under
Utah Utes, over/under 7.5 (+100 over/-120 under)
There’s a lot to replace on the offensive side of the ball for Utah, making it difficult for me to believe that an eight-win season is on the horizon in a rugged Pac-12.
The defense will be good…again, but the offense loses machine Devontae Booker and quarterback Travis Wilson. Joe Williams showed some flashes last season, so the Utes will attempt to ride him to combat the uncertainty at the quarterback position.
Utah will bring back a solid offensive line, so that should help matters a bit on Saturdays.
However, I’m concerned with the development of an offense that wasn’t all that explosive with talented players like Booker.
And the schedule, as is the case for any Pac-12 team, is unforgiving. Utah will travel to UCLA and Arizona State, and will host USC, BYU, Arizona, Washington and Oregon. The schedule sets up nicely at home, but without the ability to score many points, I don’t see the majority of those games going the Utes’ way. — Under
