The matchup I wanted, and you should too, is now here.
Arizona vs Arizona State, with both teams ranked for the first time since 1986.
Alabama vs Auburn, Miss. State vs Ole Miss, Texas vs Texas A&M are the all-time rivalries that are talked about. Not by coincidence, those programs are viewed as national powers. In our state, ASU vs Arizona doesn’t carry anything close to the same national relevance. The only way that will change is to have both programs viewed year in and year out as Top Twenty programs. It’s embarrassing that the two schools couldn’t get on the same page at least ONCE in the last 28 years!!!
I thought the Wildcats looked better Saturday in their road win over Utah, than the Sun Devils did in their uneven victory against Washington State.
ASU fans have told me over the last couple of weeks that they wanted to see Arizona lose so the Territorial Cup wouldn’t have as much on the line. They’ve seen the Wildcats ruin their seasons before.
Arizona fans just wanted to keep building on the positive momentum that Rich Rodriguez has brought to the Wildcat program. I don’t get the sense that the ASU game mattered as much to Arizona as stacking victories.
Todd Graham is 2-0 over Rich Rodriguez.
The winner on Friday likely takes the Pac-12 Coach of the Year award.
Instate recruiting has titled somewhat in the direction of the Sun Devils. The top player in the state, Christian Kirk from Scottsdale Saguaro, never gave the Wildcats the time of day. He has the Sun Devils on the final list of teams and will announce his decision on December 17th.
Will Arizona have Anu Solomon at quarterback? Will the Sun Devils have Jaelen Strong back on the field at wide receiver?
The bets among the big cigars and the bragging rights for another year are all on the line Friday in Tucson at 1:30. It promises to be a terrific week leading up to the game.
