Arizona State vs. Arizona football predictions, betting odds, point spread
The Territorial Cup did not go well for the Arizona State Sun Devils last season.
ASU entered the game 3-8 and looking to build momentum heading into the offseason of Kenny Dillingham's first year in Tempe. No. 15 Arizona squashed that momentum with a resounding 59-23 victory in Mountain America Stadium.
The script has been flipped heading into the 2024 version of the football rivalry between Arizona and Arizona State. The Sun Devils are 9-2, ranked No. 16 in the country, and one victory away from a berth in the Big 12 championship game. The Wildcats are 4-7 and stumbling to the finish line in coach Brent Brenna's first season in Tucson.
The Sun Devils are 8.5-point favorites, but both sides know anything can happen in a rivalry game.
"It's about us going and playing and preparing like we do," Dillingham said. "Like I've said to the team since I think week three, every game you win makes the next game the most important game. And the more times you win the next game is more important. It doesn't matter who you play, doesn't matter where you play. It's the most important game because you won the last one."
In an improbable fashion, Arizona State has won four consecutive games and stunned the experts and oddsmakers alike. The Sun Devils were picked to finish last in the Big 12 and projected to win no more than 5 games. They enter the Territorial Cup tied for first place in the conference and projected to make the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff.
Standing in their way is a talented Arizona team with one of the best quarterback-wide receiver duos in the country. QB Noah Fifita and WR Tetairoa McMillan have been teammates since their high school days at Servite in Southern California. Both are wrapping up their third seasons at Arizona, and both are putting up huge numbers.
Fifita, a 5-foot-10 redshirt sophomore, has thrown for 2,832 yards and 17 touchdowns. McMillan, a 6-foot-5 junior, has caught 78 passes for 1,251 yards and 7 touchdowns. With a big game against Arizona State, McMillan has a chance to finish with the most receiving yards in the country after finishing fifth last season.
Dillingham knows slowing down Fifita and McMillan will be a tall task.
"We got our butts kicked last year and got embarrassed, so it's a game that matters," Dillingham said. "They've got the same quarterback, returning the same wide receiver. They've got a lot of the same players returning off that football team, off a team that picked us apart."
The Big 12 has been been the most unpredictable conference in all of college football this season, and odds are that trend will continue on Saturday.
Here are the latest betting odds on Arizona State's huge matchup with Arizona Saturday in Tucson:
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
Arizona State at Arizona Betting Odds, Point Spread
Moneyline: Arizona State -315, Arizona +250
Spread: Arizona State -8.5 (-114)
Over/Under: 53.5
Kickoff time: Saturday, Nov. 30 at 1:30 p.m. MST
Our Prediction: Arizona State 34, Arizona 27
TV Channel: FOX
Live Stream: Stream Arizona State-Arizona live on fuboTV (Start your free trial)
More Arizona State & Big 12 Analysis
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.