Arizona State was projected to have a rough first season in the Big 12, while Arizona was expected to be one of the conference’s top teams upon joining the league.
However, the opposite has played out as the No. 16 Sun Devils get set to square off with the host Wildcats for Saturday’s Territorial Cup clash in Tucson, Ariz.
Arizona was coming off a 10-3 season in which it beat Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl, and new coach Brent Brennan and his staff managed to keep many of the top players — including quarterback Noah Fifita and All-American receiver Tetairoa McMillan — despite the departure of coach Jedd Fisch to Washington.
Meanwhile, Arizona State went 3-9 last season in Kenny Dillingham’s first year as a head coach. The Sun Devils were picked to finish last in the Big 12 media preseason rankings but have emerged as a playoff contender.
Dillingham’s team moved up five spots in the latest College Football Playoff rankings after last week’s 28-23 win over then-No. 14 BYU at Tempe, Ariz.
Arizona State (9-2, 6-2) is in position to play in the conference championship game next week, but the tiebreaking scenarios are complex with the Sun Devils atop the league standings with Colorado, Iowa State and BYU.
Arizona (4-7, 2-6) is not bowl eligible amid a social media outcry of removing Brennan as head coach despite this being only his first year.
Brennan was asked at his weekly press conference if the Wildcats are motivated to potentially spoil Arizona State’s attempt to play in the Big 12 championship game and then possibly the CFP.
“Not really,” Brennan said. “I think it’s more about the fact that we’re playing ASU and what this game means to everybody here.”
Dillingham and Brennan experienced the rivalry from a young age.
The former was raised in the Phoenix area and grew up an Arizona State fan before earning a degree at the school in 2012. Brennan was an avid Arizona supporter in the late 1990s when his brother Brad played against the Sun Devils as a receiver. Brent Brennan, who played at UCLA, is married to an Arizona graduate.
“The mindset is this is the biggest game of the year, every year, and that doesn’t change,” Brennan said. “For us, whether we’re bowl eligible or not, all that matters is we’re playing the team from up north.”
Dillingham must guard against his team feeling the pressure to advance to the Big 12 championship game, while Arizona is playing with nothing to lose.
Cam Skattebo, one of the nation’s top running backs, said the Sun Devils will be ready because of the “brotherhood” they have built under Dillingham.
“The culture has changed man and everybody loves each other,” Skattebo said. “We’ve turned this thing around. But it’s not finished yet because there’s still a process. There is still work to do in the process.”
Skattebo will go against an Arizona defense depleted by injuries. Three of its best players — linebacker Jacob Manu and safeties Treydan Stukes and Gunner Maldonado — have been out most of the season with leg injuries.
Skattebo has gained 1,221 yards on 226 carries with 14 touchdowns.
Fifita and McMillan will test an Arizona State secondary that is 83th nationally, allowing 228.4 passing yards a game.
McMillan became Arizona’s career receiving yards leader with his 115-yard performance last week at TCU.
He has 3,355 career receiving yards, passing his current position coach, Bobby Wade (3,351 yards, 1999-02).
–Field Level Media