By David Troy
Copyright outkick
TCU vs. Arizona State, 9:00 ET This season of College Football has gone well for me to this point. I haven’t had too many losses, but I did have a brutal one last week as Illinois crapped the bed against Indiana. It happens, and honestly, a lot of times I prefer to lose like that as there is no heartbreak. It just simply is a bad pick. I always think the Twitter trolls love it too as it is fodder for them to share. No big deal, I can make that back and then some this weekend! Today, I am taking a look at the matchup between TCU and Arizona State. TCU comes into the game with a 3-0 record and as the 24th-ranked team in the country. To this point, they have done a solid job of handling their business. To start their season, they had to face the North Carolina Tar Heels, a team that is getting more attention now than ever before because of their head coach. That was a great game for TCU as it had extra eyeballs on the game, and they routed North Carolina, winning it 48-14. The next two games were somewhat cakewalks as well. They took down Abilene Christian, doubling them up 42-21, and then they beat SMU last weekend 35-24. SMU is a decent enough program, but it is a bit concerning that TCU continues to allow more points each game that they play. Their offense has been fairly one-dimensional with their quarterback, Josh Hoover, throwing for 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns. The running game has only collected four touchdowns as a team and they have just 524 yards. The line is obviously protecting Hoover, but it doesn’t seem to be getting enough holes for their backs. It seems strange to complain about it, considering the team has 100 rushes for a 5.2 average, and then 109 passing attempts. There is obviously balance, and there is success on the ground, but the passing game seems to be the true playmaking on the team. Arizona State is already on their fourth game of the season, having opened the year with a win over Northern Arizona. This was a bit of a tuneup game, and they won with ease. However, it doesn’t appear that they tuned up quite enough as they lost the next game to Mississippi State. This was a road machup where they came close, losing 24-20, but that really doesn’t matter. A loss is never a good thing in college football, and even just one can sometimes prevent you from making the playoffs. They have responded well in the two games since, beating Texas State and Baylor. The game last week against Baylor was a bit of a nailbiter as the team escaped with just a 27-24 victory. The Sun Devils pretty much played this as a back-and-forth battle before finally sealing it with a late field goal. They hit the field goal as time expired and didn’t need to rely on what has been a fairly shaky defense to win the game for them. Overall, the Sun Devils have a decent offense that has shown they can do a bit of everything. However, I personally think that quarterback Sam Leavitt has been a bit underwhelming. This is actually a pretty even matchup, and the spread feels a bit like a home-field advantage spread. If Arizona State loses this game, they are essentially toast for the College Football Playoffs. I just don’t see them making it. TCU is a high powered attack and I don’t think they will be slowed down. However, their defense is a bit suspect as well, and the Sun Devils should take advantage of that. This is a game for Leavitt to step up and show off his arm. I’m going to back the over in this one. As far as a side, I do think TCU covers, but I’m not backing it. For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024
