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Of all 54 Saturday games, there are about a handful Arizona State Sun Devils fans and even players should keep an eye on.
Here are some games to watch:
No. 23 West Virginia (3-1, 1-0 Big 12) vs. No. 8 TCU (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) @ 12:30 p.m., Fox Sports 1
Unless the Sun Devils manifest a mighty turnaround and meet a Big 12 school in a bowl game, this game has little to no implication on the Sun Devils’ season. But it’s nationally ranked football and other than No. 24 North Carolina State’s 39-25 beat down over No. 17 Louisville, this is the only game between two ranked programs in week six. The Horned Frogs popped into the Top-10 after a massive 44-31 road win against then-No. 8 Oklahoma State behind their running back’s dominance. Sophomore Darius Anderson looks to build of his 200-plus all purpose yards performance against the Cowboys on Saturday.
Arizona (2-2, 0-1) vs. Colorado (3-2, 0-2) @ 5 p.m., Pac-12 Network
It’s best to know anything one can about his or her enemy, and with the Sun Devils’ bye week, it’s the perfect opportunity to catch up on the 2017 Arizona Wildcats. Also, both with losing conference records, each team will remain behind third-placed ASU in the Pac-12 South no matter the outcome. However, it’s the quarterbacks to watch in this matchup — both desperately in need of improvement. Arizona QB Brandon Dawkins is the leading rusher (341 yards) and touchdown scorer (6) running the ball, but he’s throwing for just 167.5 yards per game, which is good for 11th in the Pac-12. Buffaloes QB Steven Montez has already thrown six interceptions, eclipsing his total last year of five.
Stanford (3-2, 2-1 Pac-12) vs. No. 20 Utah (4-0, 1-0 Pac-12) @ 7:15 p.m., Fox Sports 1
Arizona State’s last road opponent, the Cardinal, will play the Sun Devils’ next road opponent in the Utes. Bryce Love is fresh off his Stanford single-game record breaking 301-yard rushing performance, but it is Keller Chryst who will receive mass attention on Saturday night. After sustaining a concussion against UCLA, K.J. Costello, his replacement, performed statistically better than Chryst, as he threw for three touchdowns without an interception in two games. Both quarterbacks are expected both to play on Saturday night in Salt Lake City.
California (3-2, 0-2 Pac-12) vs. No. 6 Washington (5-0, 2-0 Pac-12) @ 7:45 p.m., ESPN
The Huskies are the next team to roll into Sun Devil Stadium on Oct. 14. Interestingly, Washington hasn’t won a game in Tempe since 2001, including losing twice in 2015: once against ASU, 27-17, and once in the Cactus Bowl against Oklahoma State, 30-22. However, the Huskies are favored by 29 points. Quarterback Jake Browning is nowhere near the extreme pace he was last season, but has led UW to 44 points per game, while the Husky defense has given up just 54 points all season.
No. 19 San Diego State (5-0, 1-0 MWC) vs. UNLV (2-2, 1-0 MWC) @ 7:45 p.m., ESPN2
While it’s a Mountain West showdown in Las Vegas, this game has further meaning behind. UNLV will wear #VegasStrong matte black helmets with a red ribbon decal in remembrance of the deadly mass shooting in on Sunday. There will also be a pregame ceremony in which the entire field will be covered by an American flag. Football wise, Rashaad Penny is already at 823 yards this season, needing roughly 180 yards to breakout a 1,000-yard season just six games into the year. Penny ran for 197, 216 and 175 yards against UC Davis, Arizona State and Stanford respectively.