2015 College Football Predictions: Pac-12 – ChicagoNow (blog) 
Yesterday we sized-up the SEC ahead of the beginning of the 2015 season, and today we’ll head across the country and discuss the Pac-12.
And where do we begin with the West Coast’s conference of champions?
Oregon received good news at the end of last week when Vernon Adams passed a math class and became eligible to transfer in from Eastern Washington to replace Marcus Mariota. But can he make the leap from Eastern Washington to the national championship conversation?
There was a lot of hype around UCLA, but they’ve had a… colorful… offseason. Cordell Broadus, the son of rapper Snoop Dogg, quit the team recently and Sean “Diddy” Combs avoided felony charges after he allegedly swung a kettlebell weight at an intern and an assistant football coach. The Bruins also lost quarterback Brett Hundley to the NFL. Other than that, how was the summer, Jim Mora?
USC continues to be a polarizing team with analysts, who seem to like that quarterback Cody Kessler is a known commodity but the enormous losses of Leonard Williams and Hayes Pullard to the NFL leave gaps that are impossible to ignore. The Trojans return safety Su’a Cravens, but there are questions about who else will make a big play. I like USC a lot, but hate that they have both Notre Dame and Oregon on the road this year.
There isn’t a team in the Pac-12 coming into this season with expectations of appearing in a national championship game… which might be what makes them more dangerous than the last few years.
Oregon quarterback Vernon Adams
NORTH DIVISION
1. Oregon
2. Stanford
3. California
4. Washington
5. Washington State
6. Oregon State
Jared Goff is the best quarterback in the conference – maybe the country – but Cal hasn’t played defense in years. Stanford could put it together, but reality is that the North hinges on Adams being able to adequately manage the game for the Ducks. If he can step in and be 60 or 70 percent of what Mariota was last year, Oregon runs away with the North Division this year.
Key Game: Oregon @ Michigan State (Sept. 12) – not a conference game, but Oregon has USC at home. Oregon at East Lansing is the first game on the calendar that could have a direct impact on the national championship playoffs.
Arizona State quarterback Mike Bercovici
SOUTH DIVISION
1. UCLA
2. USC
3. Arizona State
4. Arizona
5. Utah
6. Colorado
Key Game: USC vs UCLA (Nov. 28)
Pac-12 Championship Game: UCLA over Oregon
- More Predictions
Does a Pac-12 team play in the National Championship game? No
Does a Pac-12 player win the Heisman? Maybe. Kessler (USC) and Adams (Oregon) could receive enough hype to make it to New York.
What is the Pac-12’s record in bowl games? 3-3
How many new Pac-12 coaches are there in 2016? 2
How many Pac-12 players are selected in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft? 6
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