Pole position in the Pac-12 South is on the line Saturday night when Arizona State heads north to face the No. 4 Utah Utes. Utah has been the surprise of the 2015 college football season thus far, standing alone in mid-October as the Pac-12's last undefeated team. That position is tenuous though, and a loss at home to a dangerous Arizona State team many have forgotten about will bring them right back to the pack in their division.
How to watch Arizona State vs. Utah on TV or online, plus 3 things to know
Will the Utes’ dream stay alive, or will the Sun Devils drag them down? Here’s how to tune in, and what to watch for.
Arizona State, as mentioned earlier, feels like a bit of a forgotten team, and they probably shouldn’t be. They lost their season opener to Texas A&M, and then dropped a truly foul game to USC by four touchdowns. They’re 4-2, though, and were the ones to knock UCLA from the ranks of the undefeated. Whether you think they’re any good is beside the point. They’re a team that shouldn’t be taken lightly by Utah, otherwise that dream season will get turned on its ear in a flash.
How to watch, stream and listen
TV: 10 p.m. ET, ESPN (Mark Jones, Rod Gilmore, Quint Kessenich)
Radio: Arizona State | Utah
Online streaming: WatchESPN
Spread: Utah is favored by 6.5 points.
Make friends: Get to SB Nation’s team blog chats for this game at House of Sparky for Arizona State fans and Block U for Utah fans.
Three big things to know
1. Can Utah’s undefeated season keep rolling? The Utes are getting into the heart of their conference schedule, and even though the Pac-12 is down as a whole, it won’t be easy to get out of this season unscathed. Their win to start the season over Michigan, in retrospect, is looking more and more like the toughest game they’ll have all season, but the dangers are far from over, and the Sun Devils represent one of their more difficult opponents.
2. The Pac-12 South is up for grabs. Until Utah takes a loss, they control their own destiny in the cutthroat Pac-12 South. Arizona State is right on their heels, though, and can stake their claim to the division lead with a win in Salt Lake City. However, a loss would likely doom their hopes of getting to the Pac-12 title game. It’s mid-October, and these races are starting to get hot.
3. Turnovers are important. Utah is second in the nation in turnover margin at +10, and peeled six turnovers off of Cal last week. Arizona State, meanwhile, is -2 in turnover margin, but has done a better job of late taking care of the ball, only throwing a pick a game during their recent two game winning streak. Can Mike Bercovici and the offense stay clean with the ball, or will Utah force them into old bad habits?
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