The swan song of the Pacific 12 Conference unfolds inside Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium tonight, with the 12-0 Washington Huskies and 11-1 Oregon Ducks tangling in the final Pac-12 Championship.
Ahead of that final football game in the conference’s 100-plus year history — oddsmakers from ESPN BET Arizona list the Ducks as a 9.5-point favorite (with a -350 moneyline) — BetArizona.com wanted to take a look at which Pac-12 football players have scored the most points during their collegiate careers. Utilizing Sports-Reference.com’s Pac-12 Conference Scoring History list, we found the position players who scored the most points per game.
Top Scorers in Pac-12 Football History
Ahead of Friday’s Pac-12 Championship Game, Arizona sports betting sites give Oregon the conference’s best national championship odds at +500. Georgia and Michigan are the co-favorites at +185.
Surprising Name Atop Pac-12 Scorer’s List
While the Pac-12 has churned out top-level NFL talent — Aaron Rodgers, Marshawn Lynch and DeSean Jackson of Cal and Reggie Bush, Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, Clay Matthews, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Marquise Lee and Jordan Addison of USC quickly come to mind — the top scorers in conference history are names many non-diehards have likely forgotten.
Tops on that list is former Arizona State running back Marion Grice, who scored 234 points across 24 games (9.75 points per game) between 2012 and 2013, scoring 11 and 14 touchdowns on the ground to go with eight and six scores through the air to propel ASU’s offense under coach Todd Graham.
Other top scorers from Pac-12 history include LaMichael James of Oregon, who was a major cog in Chip Kelly’s explosive Ducks’ offenses between 2009 and 2011, scoring 9.41 points per game to finish second overall. He also had the second-most points overall (348 across 37 games).
Running Backs Dominate All-Time Pac-12 Scoring List
Other candidates that finished just behind those two in terms of points per game were USC running back LenDale White (8.77 points per game), Arizona’s Ka’Deem Carey (8.67 points per game) and Jacquizz Rodgers of Oregon State (8.50 points per game).
When it comes to raw rushing yards, Oregon’s Royce Freeman (who ranks sixth in scoring at 7.53 PPG) is the Pac-12’s all-time leader, racking up 5,621 yards between 2014 and 2017, while USC’s Charles White (5,598 yards between 1976 and 1979), Washington’s Myles Gaskin (5,323 yards between 2015 and 2018) and LaMichael James (5,082 yards between 2009 and 2011) are next on the list.
Carey ranks ninth on the conference’s all-time rushing yardage list, at 4,239 and Rodgers ranks 16th (3,877), White ranks 41st (3,159) and Grice finished outside the top-50 in Pac-12 history.
Although they won’t be adding their names to the scoring list, two Pac-12 players have a chance to add their name to the Heisman Trophy this season. Oregon quarterback Bo Nix is the Heisman favorite at Arizona betting apps at -200. Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is third on the odds board at +1600.
