The Arizona State Sun Devils and Arizona Wildcats collectively have not lost a football game in November, entering their annual rivalry matchup on Friday with stakes beyond capturing the prized Territorial Cup.
ASU and Arizona are each 8-3, with the Sun Devils in outside contention for a spot in the Big 12 title game. Arizona State would need help elsewhere to get in, but its chances are reliant on a win on Friday.
Arizona, meanwhile, has shown significant growth in Year 2 under coach Brent Brennan and is much better positioned to play spoiler than last season — ASU defeated UofA 49-7 to secure a spot in the conference championship game.
ASU comes in at No. 2o on the College Football Playoff rankings, while Arizona is No. 25.
Arizona is actually the betting favorite on the road. The Wildcats are riding a four-game winning streak with a red-hot offense while going up against a banged up Sun Devil squad that has piled up gritty wins.
It has been a long time since both programs won this many games before duking it out, 11 years to be exact. This year will mark the first Territorial Cup matchup in which both teams are even above .500 since 2017.
“It’s awesome to have this game between two really good teams,” ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham told reporters on Monday. “That’s what you want, you want this game to matter and its awesome that it matters.”
How often do ASU-Arizona play each when they are both this good?
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
2014
ASU and Arizona have not faced each other with 16 combined wins or even seven wins each since 2014.
In 2014, No. 12 Arizona and No. 13 Arizona State faced each other with 9-2 records in what equated to the Pac-12 South championship game in Tucson.
The game was tied 21-21 at halftime before Arizona ran ahead in the third quarter, holding off ASU for a 42-35 victory. Nick Wilson ran for 178 yards and three touchdowns for Arizona, while quarterback Anu Solomon threw for 208 yards and pair of touchdowns. ASU turned the ball over on downs with 1:14 remaining.
The Wildcats met Oregon in the Pac-12 championship game and lost.
1975
The only other times ASU and Arizona battled with 16 combined wins were in 2013 and 1986.
In 2013, the 9-2 Sun Devils crushed the 7-4 Wildcats, while in 1986, 7-2 Arizona prevented 9-0-1 ASU from finishing undefeated.
But the last time both teams had eight wins entering the matchup preceding 2014 was back in 1975, before either team entered the Pac-10.
Frank Kush and ASU defeated Arizona 24-21 to complete a perfect regular season at 11-0, going on to win the Fiesta Bowl over Nebraska. It also occurred in 1973, but the point stands that a Territorial Cup of this magnitude, with both teams winning this many games comes around very rarely.
“This should be one of the best environments in college football this weekend,” Dillingham said. “You’ve got two really good football teams playing in a rivalry game … this is what you want rivalry games to be.”
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