Arizona State Sun Devils at Arizona Wildcats Odds

Betting Odds

Point Spread: Arizona Wildcats (-6.5)
Game Total Line: (TBA)
(wagering lines available at 5Dimes)

The Arizona State Sun Devils will close out their regular season this Thursday night against the Arizona Wildcats in this traditional in-state rivalry. Kick off from Arizona Stadium in Tucson is set for 8 p.m. (ET) and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.

Arizona State’s 55-34 win as a 13-point home favorite over UCLA last Saturday actually added some additional meaning to this game as the Sun Devils can become bowl eligible with a win on Thursday night. The victory pushed their record to 5-6 straight-up for the year and 7-2-2 against the spread. They are currently 3-5 SU in PAC-10 play.

The Sun Devils have struggled this season on defense, giving up an average of 24.6 points per game which ranks them 54th in the nation. Offensively, they are averaging 32.5 points per game led primarily by a passing attack that is ranked 12th in the country; averaging 288.2 yards per game. Arizona State quarterback Steven Threet has completed 61.9 percent of his passes for 2,524 yards and 18 touchdowns. The only problem is he has thrown 16 interception as well. WR Kerry Taylor has been his primary target and leads the teams with 48 receptions for 587 yards. RB Cameron Marshall is the team’s leading rusher with 724 yards on 127 carries. He also leads the team with eight TD’s.

Arizona’s once promising season has crashed and burned down the stretch with three straight losses by a combined score of 114-67. Last Friday night they fell to the No. 2 Oregon Ducks 48-29, but actually covered as a 20.5 point road underdog with the total going ‘over’ the 64.5 point line. This latest loss dropped the Wildcats’ record to 7-4 SU and moved them to 6-5 ATS. They are 4-4 SU in conference play.

Arizona’s defense had remained fairly solid all season, giving up an average of just 20.8 points per game, but has been torched for an average of 38 points per game in those three losses. The offense has held up fairly well and is still averaging 29.8 points per game with the 42-17 loss to Stanford three weeks ago being just the second time all season it failed to score more than 20 points. Nick Foles has taken the majority of the snaps at quarterback; completing 68.2 percent of his passes for 2,649 yards and 16 TD’s. WR Juron Criner has had a spectacular season with 67 catches for 1,091 yards and eight TD’s.

Arizona State is 1-4 SU in five road games this season but 3-1-1 ATS. The total has gone ‘over’ in six of its last 10 games overall.

Arizona is 4-2 SU and 3-3 ATS in six games at home this year. The total has gone ‘over’ in seven its last 10 games overall.

Head-to-head, the Sun Devils have won six out of the last 10 games SU and is 5-5 ATS. Two years ago, Arizona won 31-10 as an 11.5 point home favorite and last year it won 20-17, but did not cover as a 3.5 point road favorite. The total has stayed ‘under’ in eight of the last 10 meetings, including the last five straight.

Game Betting Pick

Anything can happen in a rivalry game especially when the favorite is riding a three-game losing streak. The fact that the Sun Devils are playing for a spot in college football’s bowl season will be enough motivation for them to keep this game close enough to cover with the 6.5 points, if not grab the outright win.

Take Arizona State +6.5 at bodog.com