The College Football season has arrived. The Pac-12 is in its final season as we know it, and the plan is to be a really competitive, enjoyable conference for football all fall.
The conference gets started with game action in Week 1. Week 1 is an extended week, which starts August 26th and actually ends Monday night, September 4th.
Let’s take a look at the Pac-12 teams and their Week 1 games with the latest betting odds for all of them:
Saturday August 26th, 2023
USC Trojans -30.5 vs. San Jose State Spartans; 67
Lincoln Riley and his Trojans are the projected winner of the Pac-12, and they get to start right away. Caleb Williams is the odds-on favorite to win the 2023 Heisman. The Trojans offense looks to be as stacked as any in the country, so this will be a fun team to watch!
Thursday August 31st, 2023
Utah Utes -4.5 vs. Florida Gators, 45.5
This is a typical Utah vs. Florida betting line and total. Just 45.5 points is the total for these two defensive-minded teams. The Gators got to come out to Utah this time, which will not be an easy task.
People seem to be overlooking Utah this season, a team that beat USC twice last season. Utah should not have a problem winning this game at home.
Southern Utah Thunderbirds @ Arizona State Sun Devils
New head coach Kenny Dillingham will get his first chance to pick up a win in Temple against an FCS team. The Thunderbirds went 5-6 a season ago.
If Arizona State wants people to take them seriously in 2023, they will have no problem winning this game at home. It’s nice to get a win under their belt, but the Sun Devils would be better served playing some competition.
Friday September 1st, 2023
Stanford Cardinal -7 at Hawaii; 58.5
This is a game that the Cardinal will need to be careful of. Stanford needs all the wins they can get, and this is meant to be one of them.
The Rainbow Warriors, though, will be ready for them and will have already gotten a game under their belts. Hawaii gets a Week 1 game on Saturday against Vanderbilt. Stanford wants nothing more than to be a team that is watched in College Football again.
Saturday September 2nd, 2023
Colorado Buffaloes +20.5 at TCU Horned Frogs; 59.5
Coach Prime and his first game as the head coach in the league. He gets the defending runner-up to start the career. TCU is going to be vulnerable early in the season, though. New faces, new positions, new challenges. Colorado, if they want any shot at an upset in Week 1, will need to get off the ground running in this one.
Portland State Vikings at Oregon Ducks
Much like Arizona State, the Ducks get an FCS team to start their season. Oregon will need to ensure they are not playing “look ahead” in this one, as they have a trip to Texas Tech after this.
The Ducks project to be one of the better offensive teams in the league. If they can avoid the big turnovers, Oregon should win this one easily.
Washington Huskies -14.5 vs. Boise State Broncos; 59.5
This is probably the best game of the Week 1 slate. The Huskies have high hopes, and frankly, so do the Boise State Broncos. Boise State has seen plenty of these games over the years.
This is going to be an interesting one because the spread is more than two touchdowns. That seems steep in Week One, but the Huskies will be out to show a message early.
California Bears -7 at North Texas Mean Green; 56.5
The Bears need to make sure they are kept off the list of teams that got upset in Week 1. The Mean Green can put together some solid football. It’s the first game for both teams, so it will be interesting to see who comes out firing on more cylinders here. California and North Texas combining for 56.5 seems low.
USC Trojans -38.5 vs. Nevada Wolf Pack; 63.5
The second game of the season for Lincoln Riley’s Trojans. Remember when Nevada put together a solid football program? The Trojans are more than a five-touchdown favorite in this game. Look for the offense to keep flowing in this game. USC may get to 63 themselves here.
Washington State Cougars -11.5 vs. Colorado State Rams; 56.5
The Cougars are looking forward to getting the season started. Another team – Colorado State, has shown some promise in the past. The Cougars should be able to move the ball via the air effectively to score on a poor Colorado State defense.
Northern Arizona Lumberjacks at Arizona Wildcats
Much like the Sun Devils, the Wildcats get an FCS to start their season. Arizona needs an emphatic win to start their season.
UCLA Bruins -14.5 vs. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers; 64.5
Are we sure the Bruins are going to be that good this football season? This team lost quite a bit of talent from last year. Coastal Carolina is not a great first team to play when you have the question marks that the Bruins have. Two touchdowns seem like too many for this game despite the long travel.
Sunday September 3rd, 2023
Oregon State Beavers -17 at San Jose State; 54.5
For the second straight week, the San Jose State Spartans got a Pac-12 team. This one is going to be at home. This has the makings of an early-season surprise.
If the Spartans can get out of Pasadena without too much damage, do not be shocked if the week to prepare for the Beavers and strike up a home win. This would be a bad Pac-12 loss, but it’s not out of the question.
