PAC 12 Preview: Who's Winning out in the Wild West?

When looking at the PAC 12, you never know who's going to come out ahead from the rest of the pack. Oregon was favored for a few years in a row, and only won the conference once. This year, four teams have a legitimate chance to win the PAC 12, with the rest not looking like they'll be able to string it together for long enough to compete.

1. Stanford

They have arguably the best play maker in the country with Christian McCaffrey who can do pretty much anything you ask him to do. They are very well-coached, and have a very solid team like usual, so don't be surprised to see the Cardinal to be in the title game.

2. Washington

Yes, Washington is actually on this list. Surprising, I know. Despite recent disappointing seasons, the Huskies have a very good team assembled by coach Chris Peterson and can compete with just about anyone in the country on any given Saturday, yes they're that good. A huge boost for the Huskies is that they have Stanford at home. 

3. UCLA

All the hype around sophomore QB Josh Rosen is legit. This guy is so calm in the pocket, great release, and a great decision maker, and he will win games for them this year. The only question: can they make it through the PAC 12 schedule without any blemishes? We'll definitely find out and see if they can keep it together for the full season. 

4. USC

USC is in it's second year under coach Clay Helton and have a very explosive offense with arguably the best wide receiving core in the nation. With first year started Max Browne, things are unclear for USC, but they look to have a very promising team and could make some noise in the PAC 12 this season.

I expect Stanford to meet up with UCLA in the championship game, with Stanford getting the slight edge and claiming the title. They're loaded and have the most exciting player in nation. However, I don't think they'll make it to the playoff because the PAC 12 is so daunting and Stanford has a very tough schedule overall.