WhatIfSports 2015 Pac-12 Football Projected Standings

Which team will emerge from the pack in the competitive Pac-12? WhatIfSports.com played every game of the 2015 season 101 times to generate game-by-game predictions for each Pac-12 team, as well as projected conference standings.

All games were played using WhatIfSports' college football simulation engine, which uses its highly sophisticated algorithms to simulate every play of the game. The conference standings table displays the most likely outcome for each team, whereas the team-by-team schedules display absolute records. 

Aside from the SEC, with its usual load of preseason Top 25 teams, no conference garnered more Associated Press love than the Pac-12. With six teams – Oregon (7), USC (8), UCLA (13), Arizona State (15), Stanford (21) and Arizona (22) – ranked to start the season, the Pac-12 is receiving national recognition for its depth. By comparison, the ACC, Big 12 and Big Ten each placed three teams in the Top 25, while the SEC tops them all with eight teams.

Such talent does not come without risk, however. If one school isn’t able to separate itself from the pack, teams could easily beat up on each other in conference games and prevent the league from gaining representation in the College Football Playoff.  If Stewart Mandel’s prediction plays out, that could spell trouble for the Pac-12:

"This could be a year where the Pac-12’s brutal scheduling model could work against it. If ASU played North Texas instead of Texas A&M and Oregon played Central Michigan instead of Michigan State, I’d have them both with playoff-worthy records. As it is, I have ASU winning the first matchup, the 9-3 Ducks topping the 10-2 Sun Devils in the league title game."

Mandel’s forecast isn’t far from WhatIfSports.com’s prediction, although we envision Arizona State in a heated race with USC for the South Division. Bruce Feldman could see UCLA and Arizona in the hunt as well:

"I think any one of four teams have a good shot to win the South. The hunch here is that it'll come down to the Nov. 28 game when UCLA visits USC. The Bruins have owned the Trojans of late, but I think the Trojans -- with the more experienced QB in Cody Kessler and the more dynamic collection of receivers -- are due."

In the North, Mandel, Feldman and WhatIfSports.com all agree that Oregon will be tough to dethrone. The Ducks need to replace Marcus Mariota at quarterback, a task that will fall to Jeff Lockie or Eastern Washington transfer Vernon Adams. The QB will be surrounded by some talented playmakers, including wide receiver Byron Marshall and running back Royce Freeman.

To view a team's game-by-game predictions, select the school below: