There are no sure things when it comes to gambling, but if we look at the history of how teams have performed, we can see trends emerge. I've gone through college football data since the beginning of the 2008 season in search of these trends and I've found plenty of them.

Today I share with you the things I've discovered in the Pac-12. Now, merely following these trends will not assure you riches beyond your wildest dreams, but they will arm you with useful information to help you make more informed decisions when putting your money on the line.

All records listed below are against the spread (ATS)


FavoriteUnderdogHomeAwayNeutral

All games

423-394-8

295-331-8

379-341-7

289-325-8 50-59-1

Pac-12 play

276-238-7

238-276-7

265-241-7

241-265-7 N/A

Nonconference play

147-156-1

57-55-1

114-100

48-60-1 42-51-1

Pac-12 vs. Everyone

ACCBig TenBig 12SECIndependents & G5FCS

16-11

27-33-1

18-24

8-10

85-85-1

33-35

Pac-12 team-by-team trends

Pac-12 team-by-team trends
1
Stanford
81-50-2 (.618) -- Can we talk about what a powerhouse Stanford has been against the spread? They've covered nearly 62 percent of the time over the last 10 seasons, and done so with consistency. If you'd bet on Stanford in every single game since 2008, the only season you'd have lost money was in 2013 when the Cardinal went 7-7 ATS. While betting on Stanford always seems to be a safe move, it's safer when the Cardinal aren't playing a true road game. At home and neutral sites, they're 51-26 ATS.
2
Utah
48-40-1 (.545) -- This is Utah's record since it joined the Pac-12 in 2011, and early returns are promising. Even more so when Utah is an underdog. It's gone 22-13-1 ATS as a dog since joining the conference, including a record of 6-0 ATS as a dog in nonconference play.
3
Oregon
69-59-4 (.539) -- It's a strong record overall, but things have fallen apart the last couple of years. From 2008 to 2015, the Ducks went 61-43-3 ATS. During the previous two seasons, they've gone 8-16-1. Fortunately, we find a reliable trend elsewhere. Simply put, Oregon games at Autzen Stadium tend to result in points, points and more points. The Over has gone 52-22 in Oregon home games since 2008.
4
Washington St.
64-60 (.516) -- Washington State's record ATS has been a lot better under Mike Leach than it had been under Paul Wulff. Since Leach took over in 2012, the Cougars are 41-35 ATS. That in itself isn't strong, but in Pac-12 play that record improves to 32-22.
5
Washington
65-63-2 (.508) -- In 2008 Washington went 1-11 ATS. It was Ty Willingham's last season with the Huskies, and things have improved a lot since then. Under Steve Sarkisian and now Chris Petersen, the Huskies are 64-52-2 ATS. Their real advantage lies at home, however, as they're 36-24-1 ATS at Husky Stadium, including a record of 26-16-1 at home when favored.
6
Oregon St.
60-62-1 (.492) -- When it comes to points, Oregon has always been the school in the Beaver State that gets the most attention, but you can make some money betting the Over in Oregon State games as well. Since 2008, the Over has gone 34-25 in Oregon State road games. If you want to make money off the Beavers, though, you do so by fading them. As a home favorite over the last 10 seasons, the Beavers are 15-22 ATS. That includes a mark of 4-10 ATS in nonconference games.
7
Arizona St.
60-62-3 (.492) -- The Sun Devils have been mediocre ATS overall the last 10 seasons, but they have a specialty. When favored in Pac-12 games, the Sun Devils are an impressive 27-17. Unfortunately, we don't see Arizona State favored in many conference games lately (only three times in the last two seasons).
8
California
59-65 (.476) -- The Golden Bears provide some excellent fade value, even if their overall numbers ATS are mediocre. Cal is 23-34 ATS as an underdog in Pac-12 play since 2008. If you'd instead not do that, the Under is 53-38 in Cal's conference games during that same span.
9
USC
60-71-1 (.458) -- USC has proven to be profitable Under team. Over the last 10 seasons, the Under has gone 41-27-2 in USC's home games. It's even better when USC is favored at home (as it often is), going 39-24-2. As far as spread trends are concerned, fading the Trojans on the road has worked pretty well, as they're 23-32-1 ATS outside the Coliseum.
10
UCLA
58-71 (.450) -- You're going to want to approach UCLA with caution this season because it's hard to know exactly what to expect now that Chip Kelly has taken over the program. What we know for sure is that gamblers will miss Jim Mora and Rick Neuheisel, as the Bruins went 25-34 ATS on the road under those two.
11
Colorado
38-48-2 (.442) -- This is Colorado's record ATS since joining the Pac-12 in 2011, and due to a smaller sample size and the bi-polar nature of their results, it's hard to get a solid read on the Buffs. They went 10-4 ATS and straight up in 2016, meaning they're 28-44 ATS in the other six seasons. Now, if we remove that 2016 season from the sample and treat it as an outlier, we find that Colorado has gone 21-33-1 ATS in conference play.
12
Arizona
55-74 (.426) -- Arizona has provided us with a couple of different avenues to take toward a payday. First of all, they've proven to be a strong fade play as road dogs, going 11-22 ATS since 2008. If you'd rather go in a different direction, I'd suggest looking sharply at the Over. It's 71-56 over the last 10 years in Arizona games, including a 51-40 mark in Pac-12 play.