There was no doubt the Arizona Wildcats were going to be underdogs for the Territorial Cup, and probably big ones. But never before have they been this big.
Arizona has opened as a 20.5-point underdog for Saturday’s game at ASU, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. The over/under has opened at 52.5 points.
That’s the largest spread in the series since at least 1994, according to OddsShark.com. The previous high was in 2003, when ASU was a 14.5-point home favorite and won 28-7; a year later the UA won 34-27 at home as 14-point dogs to cap off Mike Stoops’ first season.
Arizona (1-10, 1-7 Pac-12) is coming off a 44-18 loss Friday at Washington State, failing to cover a 15.5-point spread. ASU (7-4, 5-3) lost 24-10 at Oregon State on Saturday night.
The Sun Devils have won four straight meetings, including last year’s ugly 70-7 result in Tucson, with Arizona last winning in Tempe in 2011.
Arizona is 6-5 against the spread this season, while ASU is 4-7.