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ASU Sun Devils vs. Arizona Wildcats Gambling Prediction & Week 13 Preview

Sun Devils vs Wildcats NCAA Football Spread/Handicapping

The rivalry between the Arizona Wildcats and the Arizona State Sun Devils is one with a lot of history behind it, but this is the first time that first-year head coaches Rich Rodriguez and Todd Graham will face off for the Territorial Cup. The Wildcats have won four of their last five games, while the Sun Devils have lost four of their last five.

Arizona State Sun Devils (6-5) vs No. 24 Arizona Wildcats (7-4)
Friday November 23, 2012
Arizona Stadium TUCSON, AZ
10:00 PM ET
Moneyline: Arizona -150, Arizona St. +130 from Sportsbook.ag

Spread: Arizona -3
O/U: 69

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Arizona State Sun Devils

With the exception of the Washington State Cougars last week, the Arizona State Sun Devils have had a brutal stretch to close out the year. Since Oct. 11, the team from Tempe has played the Oregon Ducks, the UCLA Bruins, the Oregon State Beavers and the USC Trojans. Last week was a good bounce-back game against the Washington State Cougars, but it likely speaks more to how bad Washington State has been than to how good Arizona State played.

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Coming into this week’s matchup with Arizona, the Sun Devils must ramp up their rushing defense. Against the pass they’ve been great, as they are eighth in the nation allowing just 174.2 yards per game, but against the ground game, they slip down to 69th in the nation. The Wildcats play a good game in both areas, but it’s the rushing game that they’ll look to fully utilize, so Arizona State has to be ready.

Offensively, Arizona State has been good this year. They’re averaging 36 points per game, which is good enough for 28th in the nation. They’re going to put up points on Friday, but the question is, will they be able to stop the Wildcats from doing the same?

Arizona Wildcats

The Arizona Wildcats have been a very good offensive team all season, and part of the reason is standout sophomore Ka’Deem Carey. The tailback has 1,585 yards on 250 carries with 19 touchdowns. He is leading the nation in rushing yards this season, and he has helped take the pressure off of quarterback Matt Scott. The senior behind center has thrown the ball for 3,008 yards and 21 touchdowns with nine interceptions.

The attack on offense has been balanced this year, but defense is a whole different story. They’re just 103rd in the nation in points allowed at 33.6 per game, and they drop even further when it comes to total yards allowed (488 yards per game—117th in the nation). Arizona State’s offense has a chance to have a field day against the Wildcats, so this one could be a shootout. [soliloquy id=”82219″]

Arizona State has the ability to challenge Arizona’s defense in both the rushing game and the passing game, so the strategy for the Wildcats needs to be to hone in on one area; not both. If Arizona can force the Sun Devils into a one-dimensional attack, it’s going to make containing an explosive offense much easier.

Both teams are coming into this contest following a win, but it’s the Wildcats that have all the momentum. Arizona State may be good on both sides of the ball, but they’ve yet to prove they can upset teams that have been better than them throughout the year. Arizona is at home this weekend, and they should take the energy from their crowd and turn it into a win on Friday.

Trends

Wildcats are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 Friday games.
Wildcats are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games after accumulating less than 170 yards passing in their previous game.
Over is 4-1 in Sun Devils last 5 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
Over is 4-0 in Wildcats last 4 games after allowing more than 280 yards passing in their previous game.
Over is 5-0 in Wildcats last 5 home games.
Over is 4-0 in Wildcats last 4 vs. a team with a winning record.

O/U Pick: Over 69
Score Prediction: Arizona 38 – Arizona State 34

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Articles on CappersPicks.com are written by Q (the Head Honcho) at Cappers Picks or by our resident "in house" handicapper Razor Ray Monohan! Enjoy the free picks folks! "Pad that bankroll one day at a time!"