On the line is the Pac-12 South Division championship when Arizona State and UCLA meet in Pasadena this weekend. The Sun Devils are looking to dethrone defending champions UCLA, who are aiming for their third straight division title.
Game Details:
[sc:NCAA240banner ]
When: 7:30 PM ET, November 23, 2013
Where: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
Odds:
*As of November 20, 2013.
Money: Arizona St. (TBA) vs. UCLA (TBA)
Spread: Arizona St. (-2.5) vs. UCLA (+2.5)
Totals: TBA
Arizona State Sun Devils
UCLA Bruins
SU/ATS
8-2/5-5
8-2/7-3
Over-Under
7-3
4-6
Last Game
Oregon State (W 30-17)
Washington (W 41-31)
Player to Watch
QB Taylor Kelly (2838 Yards, 24 Touchdowns)
LB/RB Myles Jack (68 Tackles, 5 Touchdowns)
Betting on the Arizona State Sun Devils:
Beat UCLA and the Sun Devils can claim the Pac-12 South Division. That is the short-term goal for Todd Graham’s team, who are setting their sight on a Pac-12 championship game appearance and a Rose Bowl encounter with the Big Ten champs in January.
Arizona State has won five straight games since losing to Notre Dame. The team’s surge is a result of its undeniable improvement on defense. During their unbeaten stretch, the Sun Devils have limited foes to just 18.8 PPG and registered 18 sacks and 10 pick-offs. In the last win over Oregon State (30-17), ASU’s defense forced five turnovers, intercepting four of Sean Mannion’s passes.
RB Marion Grice stood out in ASU’s win over Oregon State. Marion rushed for 118 yards on 24 carries and had two first-half touchdowns, heping set the tone for the rest of the game. Arizona State has covered the spread in three of its last five games overall.
The Bruins are gunning for a third straight Pac-12 championship appearance on Saturday. It won’t be easy for UCLA, but at least they have the opportunity at hand.
UCLA’s season has been hijacked by back-to-back losses to powerhouse teams Stanford and Oregon. Apart from those games, the Bruins were simply a dominant force on the field. They are on a three-game winning streak. In each of those games, QB Brett Handley threw two touchdowns with no interceptions.
[sc:NCAA490banner ]
Another Bruin who deserves to be noticed heading into Saturday’s showdown with Arizona State is Myles Jack. The converted running back recorded four rushing TDs in the Bruins’ 41-31 victory against Washington, becoming the 13th player to accomplish the feat in UCLA history.
The Bruins are 3-1 SU and ATS in their last four meetings with Arizona State.
