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It’s hard to believe, but the Washington State Cougars have just four games left in their season, and they need two wins over the final four games to secure bowl eligibility for the sixth consecutive (non-Covid) season.
The Cougs (4-4 overall, 3-2 Pac-12) face a tall test today, traveling to Arizona State (5-2, 3-1). The game kicks off at noon PT and can be found on your television at FS1. You also can stream it via FoxSports.com and the Fox Sports app.
Looking for an in-depth preview? Check this out:
Tempe traditionally has been a difficult place for WSU to secure a positive result — the Cougars have walked out with a win just five times in 25 tries. That said, the recent results have been better: WSU won there in 2016 and very nearly walked out with a win in 2019, if not for a last minute game-winning drive from the Sun Devils.
The architect of that win was quarterback Jayden Daniels, then a true freshman and now a “junior” with a whole bunch of starts under his belt — and it shows. He’s the best quarterback in the Pac-12, ranking second in total offense and first in yards per play, thanks in no small part to his legs: He’s got more than 500 yards rushing this season, spearheading a fearsome ground attack. He’ll be a handful for the Cougars.
The Cougars’ offense will face just as big of a challenge; ASU leads the conference in both yards per game and yards per play. The Sun Devils are extremely experienced on that side of the ball — maybe the most experienced unit ever given the number of super seniors who are starting — and they put opponents under extreme pressure: ASU sits second in the conference in tackles for loss.
If you needed one more indication of how tough this expected to be for WSU, the spread is as high as 16.5 points in places. That’s the biggest spread of the season for the Cougs — their previous highest was 15 points at Utah.
That game was close. Will this one be also?