Arizona State hosts Morgan State (1-0). The market has Arizona State favored by 45.
What’s at stake
Arizona State
- A win puts Arizona State a step closer to a 2% shot at the CFP field.
- Arizona State is the Big 12 newcomer whose 2024 11-3 + Big 12 championship + first-ever CFP appearance under Kenny Dillingham completed the rebuild from 2-19 to playoff team in three years.
Morgan State
- A win would be one of Morgan State’s biggest of the season — a 162-spot gap in the power ratings.
Face-off
What each fanbase carries into this one.
Morgan State
The chip · vs the blue bloodsThe fanbase carries the weight of 1974 and the knowledge that Morgan State was FIRST—before Howard, before Delaware State. The national conversation forgot, but Baltimore didn't.
What this game touches
The 2025 collapse. Morgan State went 4–8 (1–4 MEAC) in 2025, a season marked by inconsistency and the weight of historical expectation. The Bears have been chasing their 1974 national championship form for 50+ years, and while 2026 brings stability (Coach Damon Wilson, 4th season), the wound is real: Morgan State has not won a MEAC title in over a decade, and the roster lacks depth.
Arizona State
The chip · vs the national mediaSun Devil fans say the sport picked them last in 2024 and treated the title that followed as a fluke all season — they say the preseason polls still won't take Tempe seriously, and they relish being the team nobody respects until kickoff.
What this game touches
The 2025 comedown after the dream. The year after the Playoff run, Arizona State slid to 8-5 — Sam Leavitt broke his foot against Baylor, had season-ending surgery and entered the transfer portal, Cam Skattebo was gone to the NFL, and a Sun Bowl loss to Duke (42-39) closed a season that asked whether 2024 was the start of something or a one-off.
Best players
Arizona State
- Jordan Crook (LB) · 2025: 101 tackles
- Myles Rowser (DB) · 2025: 84 tackles
- Adrian Wilson (S) · 2025: 57 tackles
The line, and the room
The model and the market don’t fully agree on Arizona State’s chances here.
Home −45 · O/U 52.5
Conditions
94°F · 8 mph wind · Cloudy
Arizona State is 65% at home, 42% on the road since 2018 (31-17 home, 17-23 away).