Predictions: ASU could land in Holiday Bowl thanks to Oregon win

Nov 25, 2019, 8:45 AM

Arizona State quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) reacts toward the bench after throwing for an 81-yard touchdown against Oregon during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019, in Tempe, Ariz. Arizona State won 31-28. (AP Photo/Matt York)

(AP Photo/Matt York)

BY ARIZONA SPORTS

Before the weekend, it appeared the Arizona State Sun Devils might enter a regular-season finale and rivalry game against Arizona simply fighting for bowl eligibility.

Instead, ASU is now sniffing middle-tier bowl status after a weekend upset of then-No. 6 Oregon.

The Sun Devils’ 31-28 thriller Saturday in Tempe pushed Herm Edwards’ crew into postseason eligibility with a game to go, and beating the struggling Wildcats at home this coming weekend could put ASU in strong postseason positioning.

With a 7-5 record in that scenario, momentum would be on ASU’s side. Already, it has garnered four votes in the latest Associated Press Top 25 Poll, behind fellow Pac-12 schools Utah (7), Oregon (14) and USC (25) in the rankings.

Depending on what happens elsewhere in the final week of conference play, the Sun Devils could be looking at a Holiday Bowl berth to face a sturdy ranked Big Ten opponent such as Iowa, which is currently ranked 19th.

Two of our seven national college football pundits polled in this week’s collection of bowl projections wrote in Arizona State as the Hawkeyes’ Holiday Bowl opponents. That would be a nice trip to San Diego for ASU fans.

Otherwise, the Sun Devils could be looking at playing down the street at Chase Field Dec. 27 against a Big 12 opponent in the Cheez-It Bowl.

The Dec. 30 Redbox Bowl in San Francisco or the Dec. 31 Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, are other potential landing spots for Arizona State.