On a weekend when some of college football’s best rivalries are renewed, two teams that haven’t seen each other for 32 years will hook up in the Arizona desert. The Arizona State Sun Devils, under new head coach Herm Edwards, built up a 28-0 first-half lead over the University of Texas at San Antonio and cruised to a 49-7 win in Week 1.
It was quite the opposite situation for the Michigan State Spartans as they hosted Utah State. The Aggies wouldn’t quit and in a game that came down to the wire, the Spartans – who were favored by over three TDs – ended up with a one-score win.
- The total has gone OVER in six of Arizona State’s last seven games with an average combined score of 70.29.
- The total has gone OVER in five of Michigan State’s last six games against the Pac-12.
- Michigan State is 2-7 ATS in its last nine games on the road.
Michigan State vs Arizona State Game Center
Edwards’ Sun Devils Could be 2018’s Media Darlings
With the notoriety that comes from Edwards’ stint in the NFL and at ESPN, there’s an awful lot of focus on an ASU team that finished 7-5 in the regular season last year and then proceeded to drop a bowl game by 21 points to NC State. However, things appear to be off to a very good start for Edwards and the Sun Devils.
Players, to a man, seem to be praising Edwards’ approach to working with the young athletes. He’s developing rapport and respect instead of trying to scare them into playing well. Edwards realizes the approach needed for today’s player and has adapted to meet their needs. Sometimes that’s half the battle.
The other half of the battle is game planning for the 13th-ranked team in the country. ASU is just outside of the Top 25 and pundits are predicting that a win over MSU in Week 2 could vault the Sun Devils into the rankings. They’ve been given great odds by oddsmakers, with the spread between 6.5 and 7.5 at books monitored by OddsShark early in the week. The spread is at an even 6.0 on Friday.
Will Offense be the Name of the Game on Saturday?
The final score has gone OVER the total in six of ASU’s last seven games with an average combined score of 70.29 and the total is between 55.5 for this game but can be found as low as 53.0 on Friday. The public is almost 75% on the OVER at that total.
In Michigan State’s last six games against the Pac-12, the total has gone OVER five times, and both of these teams hit the OVER in Week 1. Arizona was over 500 yards in Week 1 while Michigan State was over 450. At 56.5, I’m perfectly comfortable betting the OVER on this game. If you’re interested in betting the OVER on this game, I’d suggest betting it sooner than later as with so much money coming in on OVER, the line is likely to move before kickoff.
Spartans Haven’t Been Covering the Spread on the Road
Michigan State is just 2-7 ATS in its last nine road games. While this stat alone is significant, the location of this game may play a part in the effectiveness of the Spartans as well. While starting QB Brian Lewerke is originally from Phoenix, the vast majority of the Spartans are from the northern states, making the forecasted 95-degree heat with no wind at kickoff a little daunting. It was 99 degrees at kickoff when ASU and UTSA god underway last week.
Michigan State has played just three games at a Pac-12 school since 1998, losing all three SU and ATS. The OVER hit in all three games with an average combined score of 68.0. Much like the total seems to be moving up, the spread is moving down. It opened at 7.5 but can be found at 6.0 at most books. ASU as an underdog might be a good pick here.
