The Arizona State Sun Devils and Washington Huskies have been knocking on the door in the Pac-12 the last couple years. They've always had the talent to compete for a conference championship, but they've been unable to get over the final hurdle to make the leap from being a good program to a great one.
How to watch Washington vs. Arizona State 2013: Preview, TV schedule, odds and more
The Huskies and Sun Devils look to stay in the hunt for the Pac-12 title.
Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports
On Saturday afternoon, the Devils and Dawgs will meet in Tempe for what should be one of the better games of the day. The winning team stays in the hunt for a Rose Bowl bid, while a loss likely ends any chance of making it to Pasadena in January.
The numbers
Rankings and records: Washington comes in ranked No. 20 in the AP Poll and No. 25 in the Coaches Poll after dropping two in a row to Stanford and Oregon. ASU received a couple of votes in both polls, but they aren’t ranked. A win on Saturday probably wouldn’t be enough to move them back into the Top 25, though it certainly wouldn’t hurt their chances moving forward.
Vegas: The Sun Devils opened as three-point favorites. The over-under for points is set at 66, so expect a high-scoring ballgame.
Weather: It should be a beautiful day for football in Tempe with temperatures in the low-80s around kickoff.
Three names to know
Keith Price - Washington's senior quarterback has really stepped up in 2013, already throwing for 1,576 yards and 12 touchdowns. He's also completing about 70 percent of his throws and can beat you with his feet.
Bishop Sankey - Maybe the best player in the country not everyone knows about, Sankey leads UW with 899 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. Arm-tackles don't work on this guy.
Taylor Kelly - Kelly is off to another fine start this season. He's thrown for 1,965 yards and 16 touchdowns, and he's also got 165 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Two things at stake
Washington has to be licking its wounds a bit heading into the week. After a promising 4-0 start, UW has dropped back-to-back games against the two toughest teams in the conference. Now the Huskies head into a tough road environment and risk falling to 1-3 against the Pac-12.
As for Arizona State, the Sun Devils are coming off a big win over Colorado after having their hearts broken by Notre Dame. The Sun Devils’ run defense will really need to step up against Sankey, who may be the best tailback on the west coast. A win would prove ASU is a legitimate challenger to UCLA in the South.
How to witness
TV: 6 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Networks (Ted Robinson, Glenn Parker, Drea Avent)
Radio: Those in Arizona can listen on the Sun Devil Radio Network. Husky fans in the Pacific Northwest can catch the game on the Washington IMG Network.
Online streaming: Pac-12.com. XFINITY customers can watch the game here.
Further reading
For more on this game, be sure to check out House of Sparky, UW Dawg Pound and Pacific Takes.
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