Washington State led Washington by one game in the Pac-12 North standings entering last year's Apple Cup. The Cougars lost the game and the division, failing to reach their first-ever Pac-12 Championship.
Entering the 2019 college football season, Washington State is one of 23 current Power Five teams who've never played in a conference championship. And they're one of only three Pac-12 teams on the list, tied with the SEC for the fewest of any conference, though behind the SEC in percentage of teams (25 percent vs. 21 percent).
ACC: Louisville, North Carolina State, Syracuse, Virginia
Big 12: Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, West Virginia
Big Ten: Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Purdue, Rutgers
Pac-12: Cal, Oregon State, Washington State
SEC: Kentucky, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt
Which of these 23 teams have the best chance to make their first-ever conference championship appearance this season?
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Iowa State
Entering the season, Iowa State is one of only three legitimate Big 12 title contenders (Oklahoma, Texas).
The Cyclones lost several key pieces from last year's eight-win team, including Hakeem Butler and David Montgomery, and must improve the offensive line. They do, however, return four all-conference-caliber defenders in Jaquan Bailey, Ray Lima, Marcel Spears and Greg Eisworth, along with quarterback Brock Purdy and breakout passing-game candidates in tight end Charlie Kolar and receivers Deshaunte Jones and Tarique Milton.
They must split the Texas and Oklahoma games.
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Michigan
The Big Ten Championship is only eight years old and has included only half of the conference's 14 teams. Michigan has come close, losing last year's East Division tiebreaker with the 62-point Ohio State debacle and falling one game short in both 2015 and 2016.
Devin Bush and most of their defensive standouts are gone, though talent remains, especially in the secondary with the return of Josh Metellus and Lavert Hill. If a new front seven steps up and new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis injects more consistency into a Shea Patterson-led offense, the Wolverines could finally get over the East hump.
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Syracuse
Let's be very clear: Clemson is the best team in the Atlantic Division. And it's not close.
However, Syracuse has enough talent on both sides of the ball for a second straight 10-win season and can run the table in a mediocre conference if they beat Clemson at home in Week 3. The Orange beat the Tigers in 2017 and nearly did it again in Death Valley last year.
Clemson won't stumble in their other eight conference games. If they beat the Tigers in September, Tommy DeVito, Alton Robinson and Andre Cisco can't let Syracuse drop more than one game.
