It'll be all state, all the time when Oregon State visits No. 25 Arizona State in a clash of mistake-prone Pac-12 teams.
The Beavers are coming off a disappointing loss to lowly UCLA in Corvallis, dropping Mike Riley's team to 0-3 on the season. The Sun Devils, on the other hand, are coming off a commanding 43-22 win over USC, their first against the Trojans in more than a decade, and find themselves back in the top 25 as a result. OSU has emerged victorious in each of the last three meetings between these two schools.
Where: Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
When: 10:30 p.m. EDT
Watch: Fox Sports Net
Spread: Arizona State -18, according to covers.com
Go with Oregon State to cover the spread. Sure, the Beavers are bad, but neither team has beaten the other by more than two touchdowns since 2006, when Oregon State clobbered ASU, 44-10.
Over/Under: 53.5, according to covers.com
Take the over here, though not by much. The Sun Devils average 35.5 points per game, the Beavers 15.7—not quite 53.5, but close enough to expect they'll surpass that number, however slightly.
Key Injuries
The Beavers will once again be without Malcolm Agnew on Saturday. The true freshman running back and heir apparent to Jacquizz Rodgers has been hamstrung since sparkling in his debut, with 223 yards rushing in a season-opening loss to Sacramento State.
The Sun Devils as expected to have running back Cameron Marshall and offensive lineman Aderious Simmons, both of whom are still coping with lingering ankle injuries.
BCS/Top 25 Implications
Arizona State, currently ranked 25th, needs a win against Oregon State to stick around in the top 25, and a convincing one to move up. The Sun Devils are favored to win the Pac-12 South but their hopes figure to take a serious hit if they can't stay on top of the Beavers in this one.
Keys to Oregon State Win
The Beavers need freshman quarterback Sean Mannion to step up and produce in a tough road environment. He'll have James Rodgers and Joe Halahuni to lean on when (not if) ASU linebacker Vontaze Burfict finds his way into the backfield.
Keys to Arizona State Win
The song remains the same for the Sun Devils—limit mistakes and they're practically guaranteed to win. The greatest challenge for ASU, though, involves the schedule. If Dennis Erickson can get his players to focus on the here and now rather than on upcoming road games at Utah and No. 9 Oregon, they should have little trouble pulling out a "W" in this one.
Prediction
Arizona State 35, Oregon State 20
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