Pac-12 power ratings: Washington’s title odds drop as the stretch run begins; USC’s number soars

Washington’s epic victory over Oregon enhanced the program’s profile, elevated quarterback Michael Penix Jr.’s Heisman Trophy campaign and strengthen coach Kalen DeBoer’s negotiating leverage for a contract extension.

But it had a contracting effect on the Huskies in one regard: Their national championship odds.

UW’s odds of winning the College Football Playoff have dropped significantly in the past 48 hours, showing rising confidence in the Huskies.

The Huskies were 13-to-1 to win the title prior to kickoff on Saturday afternoon. Today, they are 9-to-1 and on the same tier as Florida State and Ohio State, according to the latest odds from BetMGM.

Here are the 10 betting favorites:

Georgia: 11-to-4
Michigan: 3-to-1
Florida State: 9-to-1
Ohio State: 9-to-1
Washington: 9-to-1
Penn State: 13-to-1
Oklahoma: 14-to-1
Alabama: 18-to-1
Texas: 18-to-1
Oregon: 25-to-1

Those numbers track with other major sportsbooks.

The Huskies are 9.5-to-1 to win the title at FanDuel and 8-to-1 at DraftKings.

Bovada is more optimistic, placing UW’s odds at 7.5-to-1.

And if you’re curious, USC is now 80-to-1 at BetMGM following the blowout loss at Notre Dame.

Prior to the wipeout, the Trojans were 22-to-1.

To the power ratings …

1. Washington (6-0/3-0)
Last week: 2
Result: beat Oregon 36-33
Next up: vs. Arizona State (7:30 p.m. on FS1)
Comment: The Huskies couldn’t have asked for a better post-Oregon opponent, because the letdown on Montlake this week will be as epic as the Oregon game itself.

2. Oregon (5-1/2-1)
Last week: 1
Result: lost at Washington 36-33
Next up: vs. Washington State (12:30 p.m. on ABC)
Comment: Don’t let the final score in Seattle distract from the guts of the Ducks’ performance: They outgained UW by 126 yards and played well enough to win not only the game but also the conference title. The trick now is getting to Las Vegas.

3. Oregon State (6-1/3-1)
Last week: 3
Result: beat UCLA 36-24
Next up: idle
Comment: The bye comes at a perfect time as OSU prepares for back-to-back trips to Tucson and Boulder — a stretch that looks vastly more difficult now than it did in the offseason, especially for a defense that has allowed 78 points in two conference road games.

4. Utah (5-1/2-1)
Last week: 7
Result: beat Cal 34-14
Next up: at USC (5 p.m. on Fox)
Comment: Our advice: Assume quarterback Cam Rising isn’t playing the rest of the season, because after missing 10 months and undergoing a complete knee reconstruction, Rising won’t be Rising even if Rising is playing. Or something like that.

5. UCLA (4-2/1-2)
Last week: 5
Result: lost at Oregon State 36-24
Next up: at Stanford (7:30 p.m. on ESPN)
Comment: The progress on defense isn’t quite equal to the regression on offense. That said, the schedule is easier than last year (no Oregon or Washington). Then again, the conference is tougher. If you toss all those ingredients into a pot, the resulting stew smells a lot like mediocrity.

6. USC (6-1/4-0)
Last week: 4
Result: lost at Notre Dame 48-20
Next up: vs. Utah (5 p.m. on Fox)
Comment: In the interest of transparency, please note: I did not include the Trojans in my Associated Press top-25 ballot this week. In their lone matchup against a ranked opponent, Notre Dame, they were blown off the field. They struggled to beat unranked Arizona at home and unranked Colorado on the road, and their six wins have come against teams with a combined record of 13-26. That’s not a ballot-worthy resume at this point in the season.

7. Arizona (4-3/2-2)
Last week: 8
Result: won at Washington State 44-6
Next up: idle
Comment: Not sure which is more impressive, the play of freshman quarterback Noah Fifita or the greatly improved performance at the line of scrimmage (on both sides of the ball). Combine those elements and you have a team that should find its way into the postseason for the first time in six years.

8. Washington State (4-2/1-2)
Last week: 6
Result: lost to Arizona 44-6
Next up: at Oregon (12:30 p.m. on ABC)
Comment: It’s hardly time to panic in Pullman, at least through the ever-present postseason lens. After the trip to Eugene, WSU’s schedule eases considerably with Arizona State, Stanford, Cal and Colorado in succession. Win two of those four, and the bowl streak remains intact.

9. Colorado (4-3/1-3)
Last week: 9
Result: lost to Stanford 46-43 (2OT)
Next up: idle
Comment: We don’t think it likely, but let’s not dismiss the possibility that CU won’t win another game. The home dates (Arizona and OSU) will be challenging, and the roadies (UCLA, WSU and Utah) look daunting, especially given that the game in Pullman is on a Friday.

10. Cal (3-4/1-3)
Last week: 10
Result: lost at Utah 34-14
Next up: idle
Comment: The Bears are exactly who we thought they were: Subpar on offense (again), better than average on defense (again), not nearly talented enough to compete with the best in the conference (again) and careening toward a sub-.500 record (again). But a coaching change isn’t the answer.

11. Stanford (2-4/1-3)
Last week: 12
Result: won at Colorado 46-43 (2OT)
Next up: vs. UCLA (7:30 p.m. on ESPN)
Comment: For history buffs: The comeback in Boulder was the largest in school history and fourth-largest in conference history behind: UCLA over Texas A&M (34-point deficit overcome) in 2017; UCLA over Washington State (32 points) in 2019; and Cal over Oregon (30 points) in 1993.

12. Arizona State (1-5/0-3)
Last week: 11
Result: did not play
Next up: at Washington (7:30 p.m. on FS1)
Comment: Now that Stanford has a victory, the spotlight of a winless conference season turns exclusively to ASU, which faces a brutal lineup of opponents over the stretch run. Put another way: The Sun Devils have already lost to Cal and Colorado and don’t play Stanford.

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