The Texas Tech Red Raiders and Arizona State Sun Devils enter Saturday’s game in very similar situations. The two teams have coaches who are running out of second chances. This is what makes this game so urgent and pressure-packed on both sides. This won’t get as much attention as other bigger games on the schedule in Week 3, but it is one of the most important games of the week in terms of shaping the future for two different programs.
Details
Odds: Red Raiders -7.5
Date & Time: Saturday, September 16, 8 PM ET
Location: Jones AT&T Stadium, Lubbock, TX
Broadcast: Fox Sports Arizona / Regional
Reasons To Bet On The Arizona State Sun Devils
The Sun Devils scored 68 points against Texas Tech last season. Running back Kalen Ballage scored eight touchdowns that night, and he is coming back this year for another shot at the Texas Tech defense. Ballage and Arizona State faced a tough San Diego State defense in Week 2. Texas Tech will comparatively be a lot easier to deal with in Week 3. San Diego State head coach Rocky Long also calls defensive plays for the Aztecs. He is a top defensive mind in college football. Texas Tech has a reputation for having no defense whatsoever. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury has neglected that side of the ball. Kingsbury knows how to teach quarterbacks, but he has not been able to hire a good defensive coordinator in Lubbock. He has no real ideal of how to build a good defense, and the people he chooses to lead his defensive staff have not been able to come through for him. Kingsbury knows his defense against Arizona State has to be better than it was last year. Texas Tech probably WILL improve relative to last year… but that’s only because the 68-point mark won’t be repeated. This is a very low bar for the Red Raiders to clear. If Arizona State scores “only” 50 points instead of 68 last year, the Sun Devils can still win in spite of losing 18 points from their 2016 total against Texas Tech.
Reasons To Bet On The Texas Tech Red Raiders
The Red Raiders scored 55 points against Arizona State last year and have a reputation for relentlessly scoring on offense each season, no matter which quarterback is in the driver’s seat. Patrick Mahomes is gone to the NFL and the Kansas City Chiefs, but Nic Shimonek – who gained playing time in spots last year – should seamlessly and smoothly move into the lead quarterback job and continue to score a lot of points. Texas Tech’s offense should be counted on to score big, especially at home. Arizona State’s offense seems to have declined. The Sun Devils were contained by San Diego State, scoring just 20 points at home. ASU lacked the strength in the trenches needed to assert itself on offense. Texas Tech might still wobble on defense, but ASU is not yet ready to score 50 or more points this time. Texas Tech is now the team in better position to win a shootout.
Outlook
We have been following Arizona State closely these first couple of weeks and told you to bet against them last week. They struggled way too much with New Mexico State in their home opener to have any confidence laying points with them in their second game against San Diego State. The bottom line is this team is starting to – or already has – tuned out Todd Graham.
The Red Raiders still have tons of problems on defense, but their offense is now in a position to outscore Arizona State. The Sun Devils are in a greater state of crisis heading into a game in which both coaches – Kingsbury for TTU and coach Graham for Arizona State – badly need a win to save their jobs. On top of that, the Red Raiders are at home. It’s an ugly game between two desperate teams, but Texas Tech hasn’t quit on their coach just yet. Arizona State looks like they have.
Prediction: Red Raiders -7.5
Click here to bet on the college football season right now. DSI has a full list of spreads, totals and props for every single game on the board. Get all of the latest lines that you need to get a piece of the action!
