First-Ever Matchup in Big 12 Has Expectations High for Arizona's Rivalry Game
The Arizona Wildcats are set to face off with their in-state rival, the Arizona State Sun Devils, on Saturday for the first time as members of the Big 12.
The seasons for each team could not be any more dissimilar, as the Wildcats have already been eliminated from bowl contention, while the Sun Devils are fighting to secure their spot in the Big 12 championship game.
It is one of the oldest rivalries in college football, dating back to 1899, and while Arizona does hold the lead in the series overall with a 51-44-1 record, Arizona State looks to be the clear favorite this year.
Rivalry matchups are never that simple, however, and this showdown taking place in the Big 12 for the first time, with conference championship and College Football Playoff implications on the line, has Justin Williams of The Athletic ranking this contest as the seventh-best of the weekend.
"The first Territorial Cup rivalry of the Big 12 era has more than bragging rights at stake. No team in the Big 12 controls its own destiny, but a win by Arizona State puts it in very good position to lock up a spot in next week’s conference championship, with a Playoff berth likely up for grabs," writes Williams. "There is only a single, multi-part tiebreaker scenario that would keep the Sun Devils out of the conference title game with a victory against their in-state rivals. Getting to that championship would punctuate quite a turnaround season for ASU and second-year head coach Kenny Dillingham, after the program went 3-9 in 2023 and was picked last in the Big 12’s preseason media poll."
It has been a tale as old as time for these programs this year, with the Sun Devils turning things around in a good way after last season, and the Wildcats going in the wrong direction after a 10-win campaign in 2023.
That does not mean that this contest will be one-sided, though.
Arizona can make their 2024 record much more appeasing with one more win, and it would certainly be sweet to do it against their rival despite not having anything else to play for.
A 5-7 record in Brent Brennan's debut at the helm is not ideal, but it would be much better than a 4-8 record with one of the biggest pieces of their offense destined for football on Sundays in 2025.
A Wildcats victory would also extend their current winning streak in the series to three games.
No matter what happens, though, this matchup is sure to deliver excitement as rivalry week perennially does.
