posted November 2, 2007 at 16:58 EST in NCAA F Articles

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

There is no USC in this game, no UCLA, no Cal Golden Bears - - just the Sun Devils and 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 Ohio State or Boston College will lose some time soon. That means that the winner of this battle, between two very well-coached squads, will have the inside track to face either Ohio State or Boston College or 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 USC and the Ducks only beat USC by a touchdown last week. The Sun Devils, meanwhile, shut-down a very good 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 ASU + 8 on the road versus the Oregon Ducks. Take the Devils in this one.

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