in NCAA F Articles

Who thought that this would be the most important game of the season in the Pac-10?

There is no Ducks. The winner of this game puts themselves not only in the drivers’ seat for the Pac-10 Championship but also for the coveted number two spot in the BCS Championship Game.

There is no doubt in my mind that either LSU, for that matter, in the BCS Championship.

Did Dennis Erickson really believe that he’d be in this position after taking over the ASU Sun Devils’ program after last year? Probably not, but here he is!

Erickson, of course, is the reason I like the Devils to beat the spread in this game. But, before I get to that, here’s a scary trend regarding the Ducks that goes against my feelings about this game:

Oregon is 7 and 1 against the spread in their last 8 games.

What this means is that this year the Ducks are a solid play to beat or cover spreads no matter who they face.

So, why am I picking the Sun Devils to beat this spread? First, the spread, of 8 points, is larger than it should be. The Sun Devils are a better team than Cal Bears team in their tune-up game last Saturday.

Also, the Sun Devils’ QB, Rudy Carpenter, is not hurt for this game. Sure, it was touch and go earlier in the week, but, by all accounts, Rudy’s ready to go for this one. That means that the Ducks face an offense that can keep up with them.

Finally, and this is the biggest reason I like the Devils, is that ASU coach Dennis Erickson has brought an NFL mentality to the Sun Devils’ defense.

Those fellas fly to the ball all game and love to shut-down opposing offenses. How they will fair against Oregon Ducks’ QB stud, Dennis Dixon, is anybody’s guess, but I’m inclined to believe that the Sun Devils’ D is every bit as good as USC’s D.

If the Devils hold Oregon to around 24 points, then they have a good chance to win this game outright.

The BetUS line is Oregon Ducks. Take the Devils in this one.

Futures in our sportsbook today in the Future / props section!