After a 2020 year full of COVID protocols and empty stadiums, the NCAA Football is finally back, and the 2021 college football season is now at its halfway point. So it’s time to start looking at some of the favorites to win the major conferences in the 2021 Football Bowl Subdivision.

The 2021 Pac-12 Football Championship Game is scheduled to be played on December 3, at Allegiant Stadium, in Las Vegas, Nevada. As we enter the second half of the season, Oregon and Utah stood out among the challengers, and are currently ranked as the favorites to reach the Pac-12 title game, with Oregon State and Arizona State still in contention for a postseason appearance.

Oregon Ducks

According to specialists on us-bookies.com, the Oregon Ducks are the favorites in the Pac-12, with +150 odds to win the conference title. Despite a few disappointing performances due to an offense that hasn’t been consistent and a defense that has yielded too many yards, Oregon is still 5-1 overall and in prime position to make another appearance in the Pac-12 title game. The team has also struggled with a lot of injuries, with several key players like Justin Flowe and Cam McCormack out for the season.

Next week, the Ducks travel to Los Angeles for a matchup against the Bruins, and head coach Mario Cristobal will be able to count on the return of a few injured players, including center Alex Forsyth, linebacker Mase Funa, and safety DJ James. “I feel like we’ve got a lot of momentum,” Cristobal said. “In terms of roster, getting healthy going into this game, so we’re excited.”

Utah Utes

After beating Arizona State on Saturday night, the University of Utah became the Pac-12 South favorites, with +210 odds to win the conference. Even though the team was dominated in the first half, the Utes were able to take complete control in the second half and marched to a thrilling comeback win, with great performances by Cam Rising, Brant Kuithe and Tavion Thomas.

“Rising was 8-18 in the first half and ended up with an outstanding night,” said Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham. “We’ve got a lot of faith in Cam Rising. He is a great leader for us and the players believe in him. Tavion Thomas also gave us a spark. The tight ends, their usual contribution, those guys are an outstanding position group. I can’t say enough good things about our players and how they continue to compete.”

Arizona State Sun Devils

Before travelling to Utah, the Sun Devils were the odds-on favorites in the Pac-12 South. However, their performance against Utah last Saturday was far from perfect, and the defensive prowess the team had shown this season faltered against an opponent battling for control of the division. With the loss, ASU falls to 5-2 overall on the season and 3-1 in conference play, with +400 odds to win the conference title, while Utah remains undefeated against Pac-12 teams.

Entering halftime with a 14-point lead, it seemed the game was under control for the Sun Devils. But the second half would show a completely different narrative, as the Utes controlled possession with a strong rushing game. “They brought the punch to us,” ASU defensive coordinator Antonio Pierce said in a postgame conference. “Outcoached. Outplayed. Just better execution by Utah. They came out in the second half, ran the ball, and did exactly what they wanted.”

UCLA Bruins

With outstanding performances by quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and tight end Greg Dulcich, the Bruins reached their third consecutive Pac-12 road victory this season, in the 24-17 win against the Huskies on Saturday night. Standing at 5-2 through seven games, the Bruins already have more wins than they ever had under head coach Chip Kelly, and are only one win away from being bowl eligible for the first time since 2017 – their odds of claiming the conference title are not that good though, standing only at +750.

“You have to be resilient in this league and playing these games is kind of like being on a roller coaster,” Kelly said in a postgame press conference. “There’s ups and there’s downs and there’s turns and the only rule of roller coasters is you can’t get off in the middle. So our guys did a great job. They were really resilient to win in this league on the road.”

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