The Arizona State Sun Devils are doing what the Devils do best…start off the season hot, then start plummeting mid-season.
Just a couple of weeks ago, making it to the Pac-12 Championship looked like a shoo-in and now, it looks like a long shot. The Devils added another game to their loss column Saturday after losing 24 to 21 against the Washington State Cougars.
Now, they have to take on a Pac-12 rival, USC, in Week 10. And it is a must-win if they still want to even think about earning a trip to the Pac-12 Championship.
DraftKings Opening Sports Betting Odds
- Spread: -8.5 Arizona State/ +8.5 USC
- Total: 58.5
*Earn $50 in bonus bets with a $5 deposit through our exclusive DraftKings offer
BetMGM Opening Sports Betting Odds
- Spread: -10 Arizona State/ +10 USC
- Total: 60.5
*Claim an initial bonus bet worth up to $1,000 using our exclusive bonus code: SHARP
USC Trojans Preview (4-4)
The Trojans are coming off a win in Week 9. But it was against the University of Arizona, which isn’t very impressive. The Wildcats have now lost 20 in a row and the USC defense allowed U of A to score 34 points. If the defensive plays like that against ASU, the Devils should be running up the scoreboard all game.
USC did have over 500 yards against the Wildcats, but also nine penalties. This is good news for the Devils since they are also struggling with penalties. The star on the Trojans is Drake London, who has 79 catches and 1,002 yards along with five touchdowns in his first seven games of the season. London is even at the top of the 2022 NFL Draft list. But London suffered an ankle injury in the U of A game and will probably be out in Week 10. That means the Devils will need to focus on stopping Keaontay Ingram, who stepped up for USC’s offense when London was ruled out of the game.
The Devils’ defense will most likely deal with two different quarterbacks now that Jaxson Dart is healthy. Dart and Kedon Slovis both played in Week 9 and we can expect to see the same in Week 10.
As for USC’s defense, the Trojans did have five sacks in Week 9, with defensive lineman Tuli Tuipulotu being responsible for two of them. This is something ASU will need to watch out for so that they can protect Daniels. But we can’t really compare ASU’s offensive line to the Wildcats.
Arizona State Sun Devils Preview (5-3)
The Devils are coming off a second straight loss. Being a 15-point favorite against Washington, this was a game Arizona State was supposed to win. But with seven penalties and five turnovers, it was just too much for the Devils to overcome. Going 5 for 13 on third-down conversions also didn’t help the Devils.
But it’s time to put the loss behind them and focus on USC. Which luckily for the Devils, aren’t doing much this year. ASU fell short to USC last November. It was a close game, losing 27 to 28. ASU quarterback Jayden Daniels only had 134 passing yards, but he had 111 rushing yards. USC was able to rack up 552 yards last year, but the Devils’ defense is much better and more aggressive this year, so I don’t expect the Trojans to put up that many yards again this year.
Each team had three fumbles in the 2020 matchup, something that ASU is clearly still dealing with. If the Devils can start playing as they did at the start of the season, the game shouldn’t be that close this year and ASU should easily walk away with the W.
How To Watch The ASU Game
- Date: Saturday, November 6
- Time: 7:30 PM AZ
- Location: Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, AZ
- TV: ESPN
About the Author
