Arizona State massive underdogs in game with Big 12 football championship implications
Kenny Dillingham called it.
After Arizona State beat UCF 35-31 in another down-to-the-wire Big 12 football game on Saturday, the Sun Devils' football coach said nobody was going to pick ASU to beat No. 19 Kansas State.
"We've got to play with a chip on our shoulder next week [at Kansas State] because we're probably gonna be 7.5 to 14 point dogs on the road at night in Manhattan where it's gonna be 35 degrees," Dilligham said.
The early betting line? Kansas State by 8.5 points.
If Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo is cleared to play this week, it's possible that line will shrink. Regardless, Saturday's game has massive Big 12 football championship game implications.
Both teams are 4-2 in the Big 12, one game behind Colorado (5-1) for second place. A solo second-place finish comes with an automatic berth in the Big 12 title game. A multiple-team tie for second place comes with a long list of tiebreaker scenarios.
To have a shot at second place, both teams know they have to win out. Here's a look at the top of the Big 12 standings heading into this weekend's games:
- BYU (6-0)
- Colorado (5-1)
- Iowa State (4-2)
- Kansas State (4-2)
- Arizona State (4-2)
- West Virginia (4-2)
- TCU (4-3)
- Texas Tech (4-3)
- Cincinnati (3-3)
- Baylor (3-3)
- Houston (3-3)
Five of the top six teams have home games this Saturday: BYU, Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas State and West Virginia. And they are all favorites. Arizona State is the only team in the top six that has to hit the road — and they are the only underdog.
Fortunately this is nothing new for Dillingham and his squad. The Sun Devils were picked to finish last in the Big 12 and projected to win 4.5 games by the oddsmakers. As Dillingham said after his team became bowl eligible, they're "playing with house money now."
Here are the latest betting odds on Arizona State's matchup with Kansas State Saturday in Manhattan:
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
Arizona State at Kansas State Betting Odds
Moneyline: Arizona State +250, Kansas State -315
Spread: Kansas State -8.5 (-110)
Over/Under: 49.5
Kickoff time: Saturday, Nov. 16 at 5 p.m. MST/6 p.m. CT
TV Channel: ESPN
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Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. One of his favorite memories was covering the 1999 Fiesta Bowl - the first BCS National Championship Game - at Sun Devil Stadium.