College Game Of The Week: USC vs. Arizona State
We are four weeks deep into college football season and it’s safe to say this season has been anything but ordinary so far. From devastating injuries, like #3 TCU losing six of its starters, to major upsets, like Ole Miss topping Alabama, every week has been a tossup. The one thing that seems unnervingly consistent is: no matter the ranking or what happened last week, anything is possible. A seemingly slow fourth week is chock-full of upset potential, like #19 USC vs. Arizona State University.
On the surface, it would appear that the Trojans would destroy the Sun Devils without breaking much of a sweat, but it would be silly – nay, idiotic – to rule Arizona State out just yet. Yes, they are unranked, but so was Stanford last week before they beat then-#6 USC 41-31.
This matchup reminds us of a similar narrative from last year: Arizona State wasn’t ranked and USC was sitting at #16. Sun Devils quarterback Mike Bercovici had an amazing game with 510 yards (!) and five touchdowns, including a last-second Hail Mary into the end zone miraculously caught by wide receiver Jaelen Strong, who now plays for the Houston Texans. The Sun Devils rocked the #16 Trojan world 38-34.
While both teams have lost key players since last season, both quarterbacks still remain in place, making a fairly equal rematch. Arizona State has won three of its last four meetings with USC, including a 62-41 beating in 2013.
USC and Arizona are both sitting at 2-1 records: #6 USC lost last weekend to then-unranked Stanford and Arizona lost their first game to #14 Texas A&M. Though USC is coming off an upsetting loss and a dramatic drop in the ranks, – which can sometimes be the kiss of death – USC hasn’t lost two games back-to-back since 2012.
Watch the USC Trojans take on the Arizona State Sun Devils at 10:30pm ET Saturday on ESPN.
Other games on Sling TV this weekend:
Cincinnati at Memphis, 6:30pm ET Thursday, ESPN
Boise State at Virginia, 8pm ET Friday, ESPN
Southern at Georgia, 12pm ET Saturday, SEC Network
Southern Mississippi at Nebraska, 12pm ET Saturday, ESPNews
LSU at Syracuse, 12pm ET Saturday, ESPN
Georgia Tech at Duke, 12pm ET Saturday, ESPN2
Central Florida at South Carolina, 12pm ET Saturday, ESPNU
Oklahoma State at Texas, 3:30pm ET Saturday, ESPN
Virginia Tech/East Carolina or Western Michigan/Ohio State, 3:30pm Saturday, ESPN2
North Texas at Iowa, 3:30pm ET Saturday, ESPNU
Louisiana-Monroe at Alabama, 4pm ET Saturday, SEC Network
Middle Tennessee at Illinois, 4pm ET Saturday, ESPNews
Texas A&M vs Arkansas, 7pm ET Saturday, ESPN
Mississippi State at Auburn, 7:30pm ET Saturday, ESPN2
Vanderbilt at Mississippi, 7pm ET Saturday, ESPNU
Howard vs. Morgan State, 10pm ET Saturday, ESPNU
North Carolina State at South Alabama, 7pm Saturday, ESPNews