A rivalry game is set for the final weekend of the regular season when the #16 Arizona State Sun Devils (9-2, 6-2 Big 12) take on the Arizona Wildcats (4-7, 2-6 Big 12) on Saturday afternoon. These teams met last season with Arizona winning 59-23 on the road. Arizona State is coming off a huge home win over BYU 28-23, and covered as 3.5-point home favorites. Arizona just went on the road and lost to TCU 59-23, missing the cover as 10.5-point dogs. Arizona State is currently listed as 8.5-point road favorites in this game. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 EST from Arizona Stadium in Tucson and can be found on FOX.
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Who wins this in-state rivalry? Keep reading for our Arizona State vs. Arizona prediction.
Arizona State Looking For Title Game
The Arizona State Sun Devils are tied at the top of the Big 12 standings with Iowa State, Colorado and BYU. Only two can play in the Big 12 Championship game, if all the teams were to win, Arizona State and Iowa State would get in. It is clear Arizona State still needs to win this game, because if they lose while two of those three teams win, they will be out of the title game. In last week's game against BYU, they were led by Sam Leavitt with 247 passing yards and one touchdown.
After the win over BYU, coach Kenny Dillingham spoke to ESPN reporters saying, “We beat another ranked team at Mountain America Stadium. So this is all about the guys. These guys battled, these guys fought and found a way to win." Sam Leavitt is a 6'2 redshirt quarterback with 2,153 passing yards with a 61.5% completion rate and an 18-5 TD-INT ratio. He is also a threat to run, he is second on the team in rush yards with 356. Their top running back is Cam Skattebo, he is 4th in the Big 12 in rush yards with 1,221 to go with 14 touchdowns. He ran for 147 yards and three scores against BYU last week. Jordyn Tyson is their top wideout with nearly 500 more receiving yards than any other Sun Devil. Tyson is a 6'1 sophomore with 67 catches for 958 yards and nine touchdowns.
Arizona State is 9th out of the 16 teams in the Big 12 in scoring with 30.5 points per game, and their defense ranks 6th by allowing 22.8 points per game. Myles Rowser is their top tackler from the safety position with 81 on the year, he also has one of the team's 19 sacks. Their sack leader is edge rusher Clayton Smith with four. They have come up with 14 interceptions on defense, with four defenders all tied at the top with two.
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Wildcats Look to Spoil
The Arizona Wildcats will be hosting their rival in the final week of the season. They have the chance to play the spoiler as Arizona State is currently projected to sneak into the College Football Playoff as the 12-seed, but that is contingent upon winning the Big 12 Championship. Arizona is playing for pride, as they only have four wins and will watch the bowl season from home. They have lost six of their last seven. In their last game, quarterback Noah Fifita passed for 284 yards and two touchdowns in the loss to TCU.
The Wildcats only have four wins, head coach Brent Brennan spoke with reporters after the TCU loss saying, “Everyone is disappointed. It’s hard when you go through a season like this." Their quarterback is 5'10 sophomore Noah Fifita, he has 2,832 passing yards on the season on a 61.3% completion rate and a 17-12 TD-INT ratio. Fifita does not look to run, he only had 15 rush yards on the season. The top running back is Quali Conley with 719 yards on 5.1 YPC with eight touchdowns. He has 107 rush yards in their recent win over Houston. Tetairoa McMillan is an NFL prospect on the outside, the 6'5 junior receiver is putting up big numbers. He leads the Big 12 in receiving yards with 1,251 on 78 catches with seven touchdowns. He is coming off a 115 yard game in the loss to TCU.
Arizona is 15th in the conference in scoring with 23.1 points per game, and their defense ranks 14th by giving up 30.2 points per game. Their top tackler is safety Dalton Johnson with 85 on the season, 27 more tackles than the next highest Wildcat. The team has 19 sacks on the year, led by defensive end Tre Smith with 4.5. They have eight interceptions, with defensive backs Jack Luttrell and Genesis Smith tied for the lead with three a piece.
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Best Bets for Arizona State vs. Arizona
Full-Game Side Bet
Insiders Status:
This game became even more serious on Tuesday, when Arizona State saw their name slated in the potential bracket for the College Football Playoff. The Sun Devils are ranked only 16th nationally, but would jump the teams ahead of them and play as the 5th highest ranked conference champion. This is all possible with two wins, and it starts here against their rival. The Sun Devils are on the road and laying 8.5 points, but that has not been a problem for them in their last two road trips. They won by ten on the road at Kansas State, and 21 on the road against Oklahoma State in their last two road games. Arizona State will be able to control this game with their rushing attack, Cam Skattebo has over 1,200 rushing yards on the season, and Arizona is 14th out of 16 teams against the run in the Big 12. Arizona is giving up 165.7 rushing yards per game, the Sun Devils will use this to their advantage and keep the chains moving while putting up a big number. Arizona State has been excellent against the run, ranking second in rush defense in the Big 12, which will allow them to predict when the long passing downs are coming and send a double team at McMillan to limit his production. Arizona is playing at home, where they have losses to West Virginia, Texas Tech and Colorado. The Sun Devils get the win and cover to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Take Arizona State to cover.
Full-Game Total Pick
Insiders Status:
This is a strength vs. weakness game when each team has the ball. Arizona State has a strong run game, Skattebo carries this offense with over 1,200 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. Arizona is 14th in the Big 12 in run defense, and will struggle to get any stops on third and shorts or goal line scenarios. Arizona State has won their last four games while scoring at least 24 points in every game, including putting up 42 points on the road against Oklahoma State. When Arizona has the ball, they have a future NFL wide receiver on the outside who leads the conference in receiving yards in McMillan. The Sun Devils are only 10th against the pass in the Big 12, so Arizona will still be able to air it out and find way to convert scoring drives through the air. Arizona is not having a great season, but they have scored 26 or more in three of their last four games. The rivalry aspect will also have offensive coordinators taking more risks, as each team will lay it all on the table to finish strong.
Take the over.
