The South will see its fifth champion in five years.
We’ve got a two-in-five shot at this one, so we’re rolling the dice. Remember, it was UCLA in 2012, Arizona State in 2013, Arizona in 2014 and USC last season. Right now Utah and Colorado are tied for the South Division lead with 3-1 conference records. FPI favors Colorado in the rest of their regular-season games and gives the Buffs a 60 percent chance to win the division. Utah has a tougher road, with trips to UCLA, Arizona State and Colorado, and they still have Washington at home later this month. Much can still happen, and three other teams are still in play. USC and Arizona State are right behind. USC has a tiebreaker over Colorado. Utah has a tiebreaker over USC. Those could and likely will play a role down the line, as they did last season. Just as we’ve seen the last couple of years, the South could come down to the final weekend and a rivalry game. Which means it might be time to start calling Utah-Colorado a rivalry.