—
Friday Fast Facts – Arizona State Week
—
… Your weekly “T.I.P.S”, previews for this weekend’s games, discussing Talent, Intangibles, Preparation and Statistics, have been posted. The written preview and predictions for the CU/Arizona State game can be found here.
—
The Big Picture …
— Low attendance? … With CU students getting the week of Thanksgiving off (why wasn’t it that way when I was in school?), many CU students who might otherwise be at the Arizona State game Saturday night may be on their way home for the holiday. Couple that with a night game in mid-November (though the weather will be as nice as you could hope, with a 60-degree sunny day leading up to the game), and a 3-7 Buff record. this could be one of the smallest crowds of the Coach Prime era (lowest to date: the last home game, against Arizona, which had an official crowd of 48,322);
— Senior Day … A total of 34 Buffs will be making their final appearance at Folsom Field during Saturday’s game. Make sure you’re in your seats by 5:30 p.m. to give one last cheer for CU’s sensational seniors;
— The ESPN Power Index gives the Buffs only a 36.8% chance of winning; the Sun Devils given a 63.2%;
— The CU/ASU game will be telecast nationally on ESPN2 (Saturday, 6:00 p.m., MT), with Mike Monaco on the play-by-play, Kirk Morrison with the commentary, and Dawn Davenport doing the sideline reporting. Note: The ESPN announcing crew has been witness to a number of upsets this season, including … the CU win over No. 22 Iowa State in October, CU’s last victory. KOA radio will have Mark Johnson with the play-by-play, and former CU head coach Gary Barnett as the full-time analyst. The lead-in game on ESPN2 will be the Kansas State at No. 12 Utah game, which will start at 2:00 p.m., MT.
—
Getting to Know Arizona State … Stats and Notes …
— Tough Schedules … Colorado’s opponents this season have a 59-32 record, for a .648 winning percentage that ranks eighth best in college football. In a similar vein, ASU’s opponents are 60-34 for a .638 percentage that is 13th best in the FBS. The two teams rank first and third in toughest schedules in the Big 12 (Iowa State, .641);
— Hey, Kid! … One of the more drastic age differences between starting quarterbacks in college football could occur on Saturday if Colorado rolls out freshman Julian Lewis, who was born on September 21, 2007 (just turning 18 within the last two months), compared to 23-year-old sixth-year senior Jeff Sims (born January 1, 2002);
— Try not to fall behind, Buffs … Arizona State is 10-1 when leading after the first quarter under Kenny Dillingham, and has won 15 straight games when leading at halftime.
—
CU Player Notes …
— Juju’s Big Start … True freshman quarterback Julian Lewis delivered one of the best freshman debuts in CU history, throwing for 299 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions at West Virginia. His yardage total ranks second-most by a CU true freshman in a first start;
— Omarion Miller’s strong season … Wide receiver Omarion Miller is one of the Big 12’s hottest receivers, posting 131 yards and a touchdown at West Virginia for his first 100-yard game of 2025. Over his last five outings, he has 23 receptions for 452 yards and six touchdowns, recently surpassing 1,100 career receiving yards while emerging as CU’s top explosive-play threat;
— Buff Defense getting better? … Colorado’s defense has produced five turnovers in the last two games, marking its first back-to-back multi-takeaway stretch of the season. Over the last four games, CU has also logged eight or more quarterback hurries or pass breakups in three of them.
—
CU & Arizona State … Head-to-Head
— Arizona State has an 10-4 advantage in the all-time series, but the Buffs have played been leveling the field of late. After opening the series with seven straight losses (dating back to the first game between the two schools, in 1996), the Buffs have won four of the last seven games between the two schools;
— Despite the Sun Devils’ overall lead in the series, the best performances have all come from Buffs. The most yards passing in a game: 389, by Sefo Liufau (2015); most rushing yards: 219, by Phillip Lindsay (2016); most receiving yards: 150, by Tony Brown (2019); total tackles: 15, by Jordon Dizon (2007);
— The 2007 game in Tempe, despite a 7:15 p.m. local start time, set the record for the warmest game in Colorado football history. The temperature at kickoff was 102 degrees, a record matched in 2012 at a road game against Fresno State. The current forecast high for this weekend’s game in Boulder? A nice 60-degree day to start … but the sun will set about an hour-and-a-half before the 6:00 p.m. kickoff. The game will likely be played in the high 40s or low 50s.
—
The Last Time …
October 7, 2023 … Colorado 27, Arizona State 24
Game Story … Alejandro Mata kicked a 43-yard field goal with 12 seconds left, lifting Colorado to a 27-24 win over Arizona State. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders accounted for two touchdowns as the Buffs defeated the Sun Devils in Tempe for only the second time in school history. Wide receiver Javon Antonio, who had three catches for 42 yards coming into the game, had five catches for 81 yards and a touchdown. Antonio also had a 43-yard reception with less than a minute to play, setting up the game-winning field goal.
Arizona State out-gained Colorado, 392 yards to 295, in a game marred by penalties (9-for-88 for ASU; 8-for-65 for CU). Shedeur Sanders completed 26-of-42 passes for 239 yards and a touchdown, also contributing a 16-yard scoring run, but Sanders was harassed all night, being sacked five times. Anthony Hankerson led the Buffs in rushing, with ten carries for 58 yards, but, with the sacks included, the Buffs returned to their anemic ways on the ground, finishing with 30 carries for a net of 56 yards.
… Continue reading story here …
—
Essay for the Game … “Heat of the Moment”… can be found here …
—
Colorado and Arizona State … historical
While Colorado trails Arizona State in the head-to-head series, the Buffs have significant advantages over the Sun Devils when it comes to historical records.
Arizona State has a better winning percentage all-time (.602, 26th in the nation, to CU’s .568, 45th). Otherwise, the advantages are almost all Colorado.
According to Winsipedia, the Buffs lead the Sun Devils in a number of all-time categories:
— All-time wins – 735 (31st) to 656 (49th);
— Conference championships – 26 (12th) to 18 (23rd);
— All-time NFL draft picks – 293 (23rd) to 256 (33rd);
There are several categories which are close enough to bear watching, including:
— Weeks in the AP poll – Colorado: 317 (28th); Arizona State: 301 (33rd);
— All-time first round NFL draft picks: Arizona State now has 26 all-time first round picks (tied for 26th), while CU has 25 (28th).
—
Big 12 Notes …
— Five Teams in the College Football Playoff Rankings … The Big 12 Conference placed five teams in the College Football Playoff’s Top 25 rankings this week, which included a trio of programs in the top 12. Arizona State (25th) and Houston (23rd) made their CFP rankings debut this season, while Utah (12th), BYU (11th) and Texas Tech (5th) all moved up one spot from last week;
— Big Noon Kickoff … The Big 12 Conference will host FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff pregame show for a fourth time this season for BYU’s visit to Cincinnati on Saturday;
— CU not the only Utah victim … Utah has six wins by at least 30 points this season, which are the most in the FBS. It also marks the most by a Big 12 team in a single season since 2015.
— Big 12 Lines …
From DraftKings …
Big 12 Week 13 games …
- Kansas at Iowa State … 10:00 a.m., MT, FS1 … Iowa State is a 3.5-point home favorite …
- Baylor at Arizona … 11:00 a.m., MT, TNT … Arizona is a 6.5-point home favorite …
- Kansas State at No. 13 Utah … 2:00 p.m., MT, ESPN2 … Utah is a 17.5-point home favorite …
- TCU at No. 25 Houston … 2:00 p.m., MT, Fox … Houston is a 1.5-point home favorite …
- Oklahoma State at UCF … 2:00 p.m., MT, ESPN+ … UCF is a 12.5-point home favorite …
- No. 11 BYU at Cincinnati … 6:00 p.m., MT, Fox … Cincinnati is a 2.5-point home underdog …
- Arizona State at Colorado … 6:00 p.m., MT, ESPN2 … Colorado is a 7.5-point home underdog …
–
—–