We have spent much of the offseason at Trojans Wire exploring the Pac-12 power structure and the state of play in the conference. Everyone who follows Pac-12 football would tell you that Utah, USC and Oregon are the top three teams in the league, though not necessarily in that order.
A few people might have Washington State, UCLA, or Oregon State making a surprise run to the Pac-12 Championship Game, but even they would acknowledge that the Utes, Trojans and Ducks are widely viewed as the preseason top three teams in the Pac.
This brings up a point I hadn’t really considered or thought about: If there is not a rematch of a regular-season game in the Pac-12 Championship Game, that’s very likely great news for USC.
Again, I hadn’t thought about it this way, but it’s true: Since Utah plays both USC and Oregon this season, a non-rematch in the Pac-12 Championship Game would probably mean Utah isn’t there. It probably means USC is playing Oregon, in a matchup the Trojans would love to have.
Consider this point: Oregon, USC and Utah all play Washington State, Oregon State, and UCLA this year. Therefore, a non-rematch scenario could not pair any of those six teams.
If there is a non-rematch of a regular-season game in the Pac-12 Championship Game, USC-Oregon is pretty much the only realistic scenario, barring an out-of-left-field run by Washington or another unlikely contender.
We talked more about the Pac-12 title chase with Mark Rogers at The Voice of College Football:
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Jon Wilner predicts every USC football game this season
