USC Trojans (6-2) vs. Arizona State Sun Devils (4-4)
Saturday, November 7, 5:00 PM PST
Las Vegas Favorite: USC -10.0

Sam’s Take (39 – 15):

The Trojans are coming off the worst loss of the Pete Carroll era, and that probably doesn’t bode well for ASU. Remember, this ‘SC program has not lost a game in the month of November since Carroll’s arrival.

Still, it’s difficult to know for sure how the Trojans dreadful performance in Eugene will affect the team moving forward. While the season may seem lost, a BCS Bowl is still likely if ‘SC wins out, so we will find out a lot about this team’s resiliency in the next few weeks. Meanwhile, the Sun Devils may need to pull off the upset Saturday in order to keep their bowl hopes alive (remaining schedule includes @Ore, @UCLA, UA).

QB Matt Barkley really can’t be faulted for what took place last week, and I expect him to play very well in Tempe. ASU has proven to be rock solid against the run this season (4th nationally), so ‘SC will likely go to the air early with Barkley. The Devils D has developed a reputation for over-pursuing, so Jeremy Bates may also put in extra misdirection plays this week.

Dennis Erickson will once again turn to ASU QB Danny Sullivan, but he also hinted that former ‘SC commit QB Samson Szakacsy will have an expanded role in the offense. RB Dimitri Nance continues to be bothered by a shoulder injury; so true freshman RB Cameron Marshall could be the feature back this week. USC has certainly looked vulnerable on defense in the last few weeks, but the Sun Devils lack the offensive explosion of Notre Dame, OSU, and Oregon.

I expect a very physical game, as both USC and ASU prefer to play that style. But by the second half, the Trojans should pull away en route to another November win.

Prediction: USC 30 – Arizona State 17

USC Player to Keep an Eye On: WR Ronald Johnson - RoJo caught a TD in each of the last two weeks, and I expect him to be heavily featured in the gameplan against ASU.

Arizona State Player to Keep an Eye On: CB Deveron Carr - The Arizona State coaches are reshuffling the Devils secondary after a disappointing outing vs. Cal, and Carr is likely to make his first career start this week.

Dave’s Take (42 – 12):

For a USC defense that has struggled immensely over the last three weeks, ASU’s manageable offense might be just what the doctor ordered. Since conference play has started, ASU has averaged 20.6 points per game. They will get their share of yards and points, but unlike the last three teams USC has played (with ND’s Jimmy Clausen, OSU’s Jacquizz Rodgers, and Oregon’s LaMichael James and Jeremiah Masoli), Arizona State doesn’t have any explosiveness in their backfield.

The biggest question mark in this game is simply how will USC react to having just been blown out? For a team that generally likes to have a lot of light-hearted fun during practice and preperation for games, a loss like this could throw things out of balance. If Pete Carroll tries to change too much too fast, it could really affect the team’s psyche. Will be interesting to see how they play this Saturday, especially in the first half.

For ASU, the message has been consistant all year; the defense can only do so much. They’ve been playing at a high level and giving the team a chance to win more often than not, but it just hasn’t been enough as the offense hasn’t been able to capitalize.

I expect similar in this one; ASU holds USC somewhere in the 28-35 range, but the offense continues to struggle.

Prediction: USC 28 – Arizona State 14