Pac-12 Football: 5 most important Pac-12 South games for 2017

The USC Trojans are the heavy favorite to win the Pac-12 South, but surprises do happen. These five Pac-12 football games will determine the division.

Unlike the Pac-12 North, the Pac-12 South has had five of six divisional teams appear in the championship game. While USC is the preseason favorite, is it possible Utah becomes the sixth team in 2017?

It isn’t surprising the Trojans are a strong favorite after an outstanding 2016 season that included a win in the Rose Bowl. Defensively, Utah, USC and UCLA leap to the top of the division. Offensively, Colorado, USC and UCLA have a lot of potential but significant question marks, too.

Arizona faces significant personnel issues and is coming off an abysmal 3-9 season, but the team has one of the more manageable schedules (they avoid Washington and Stanford from the North). Arizona State has less personnel issues with a potent offense, but the schedule is more formidable (a road game vs. Stanford and Washington at home combined with a tougher non-conference slate).

More: 5 most important football games in the Pac-12 North in 2017

Colorado won the division last season but faces considerable attrition on defense, including highly regarded defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt. UCLA is considered a darkhorse contender. While the Bruins had a disappointing 4-8 season in 2016, starting quarterback Josh Rosen returns from injury. USC is the favorite with Heisman frontrunner Sam Darnold at quarterback, but the team faces significant questions along the offensive line.

Utah has won eight games or more four times since joining the Pac-12 six seasons ago, yet the division title has always eluded the program. The team returns plenty of talent on defense but lost a lot of experience on offense. Their brutal schedule won’t help. They play Washington, Stanford, Washington State and Oregon from the North, plus BYU as a non-conference opponent.

Obviously, cross-division games will affect who represents the South in the Pac-12 championship game. However, what are the pure, strictly Pac-12 South games that will help determine who wins the division?

Let’s take a closer look.