The Arizona State Sun Devils head to Lubbock to face the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Saturday afternoon. The Red Raiders are undefeated and have two conference wins, and they are coming off a bye week. The Sun Devils are 1-1 in conference play with a win over Kansas and a loss to Baylor. Tech opens as around a two-touchdown favorite, and that seems like a hard line to play. I like this game to be a more conservative, defensive-oriented, field position game, so I am taking the game total under 48.5.
The Red Raiders are led by their defense -- especially their run defense. Opponents have rushed for only 91 yards per game, and Tech has succeeded in making opponents one-dimensional often. That would make for a tough day for the Arizona State offense, if that were to happen again Saturday. On the other side, Tech has been good enough on offense -- but certainly not world-changing. The Red Raiders take their opportunities and they play from ahead well. If they get a lead, look for more ball control on offense. As long as the game is close, ASU head coack Kenny Dillingham will likely be content to play field position games and not take too many chances. I think this game will stay below the total.
Arizona State vs Texas Tech prediction: Under 48.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to 46.
