Arizona State opens as underdogs to California

TEMPE, Ariz. — Arizona State exceeded expectations this weekend against USC. The Sun Devil offense looked energetic and creative with Kenny Dillingham calling plays. The defense held up as best as they could against an explosive offense like USC. The Trojans have one of the best offenses in the country behind Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams.

Arizona State was in a one-possession ballgame with a top-five-ranked team (at the time) late Saturday night. For the first time all season, the majority of the fans stayed past the third quarter. Unfortunately, the creativity and the crowd weren’t enough to secure one of the biggest upsets in program history, as ASU fell 42-28.

However, many fans left the stadium with a new sense of optimism and faith in the program that Kenny Dillingham was looking to build. Now the Sun Devils are traveling to the Bay Area for a matchup with California, and have a chance to win.

Except Vegas disagrees. According to Draft Kings Sportsbook, Cal opens as 12-point favorites.

Cal opens as 12-point favorites over Arizona State

If Kenny Dillingham is still calling plays next week, it’s hard to imagine this team losing by double-digits to the Golden Bears.

The Sun Devils put up 28 points on Saturday night. Their average for the season prior to the game? 13. The defense has been successful the whole season, even when the offense puts them in difficult situations. Now if Dillingham can get the offense in rhythm, Arizona State has the capability to surprise people. They showed that on Saturday.

ASU will have the chance to continue gaining momentum next weekend against Cal.

The Golden Bears enter the matchup 2-2 and are coming off a 27-point loss to Washington. Their two wins this season are against North Texas and Idaho. The other loss came in a close one at home, 14-10 to Auburn.

Will the Sun Devils pull off the upset?

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