Can the Wildcats make it two in a row over ranked opponents? Last week, it was unlucky Oregon, who fell by 26 in Tucson. This week, it’s hated rival Arizona State, who already has the division locked up and wouldn’t lose much with a loss. That spells T-R-A-P game if Todd Graham doesn’t have his team ready to play.
How to watch Arizona vs. Arizona State: Preview, TV schedule, odds and more
The Sun Devils would be well-served to be careful in this one.
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For Rich Rodriguez and company, though, a victory would allow them to meet the eight wins they had last year, with an opportunity for one more in their upcoming bowl game. That is about as good a way to show progress as any, especially because the Wildcats lost the Territorial Cup last season.
The numbers
Rankings and records: The Sun Devils hold the 12th spot in the BCS rankings, but trail the Wildcats all-time 47-38-1.
Vegas: Arizona State opened as 13.5 point favorites, but the line has begun to drop in favor of Arizona.
Weather: Slightly cloudy, but no problems are anticipated.
Three names to know
Ka'Deem Carey (Arizona running back) - Yes, Carey's name regularly appears in this space when it comes to the Wildcats, but last week's performance against Oregon makes it easy to see why -- he rolled up four touchdowns and 206 yards on 48 carries. You can bet the Sun Devils will have a heavy dose of him.
Scooby Wright (Arizona linebacker) - Wright is the answer to a trivia question no one is likely to ever ask you: who ended Marcus Mariota's streak of passes thrown without an interception? But he does more than break records, too -- Wright has nine tackles for loss and is second on the team with 76 total.
Jaelen Strong (Arizona State wide receiver) - Strong leads Arizona State in receiving yardage and with an effort worthy of his last name, could top the thousand yard mark on the year.
Two things at stake
Arizona State cannot lose much with a loss, as they are guaranteed a berth in the Pac-12 Championship Game, with a possible Rose Bowl appearance after that. Still, it would be smart for them to play well and keep everything at full go for Stanford next week.
With Arizona State already guaranteed a Pac-12 South division championship, all the Wildcats can gain here is a win in the Territorial Cup -- huge in itself -- and some postseason positioning.
How to witness
TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network
Online streaming: XFinity subscribers can stream the game here.
Further reading
There’ll be Arizona coverage galore at Arizona Desert Swarm. They’re talking about Kadeem Carey and his huge game. Yes, still.
Arizona State has more coverage at House of Sparky, where they’re breaking down UCLA and taking looks at the Wildcats.
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