The College Football Playoff quarterfinal is here, and it’s go time—Arizona State Sun Devils vs. Texas Longhorns. For ASU, it’s a historic first CFP appearance, thanks to head coach Kenny Dillingham flipping the script and building a winning squad in no time. Sure, ASU’s rocking their Big 12 champ vibes, while Texas barely missed snagging the SEC title. But will the face-off against Steve Sarkisian be that easy?

Obviously not! Josh Pate pointed out the same and highlighted that Dillingham’s ASU will need to be careful as they move ahead and capitalize on Texas’s weakness. He brought to the notice that “Texas has dominated everywhere but the scoreboard.” The Longhorns have put up impressive stats, but if Arizona State can exploit certain weaknesses, they might just pull off an upset.

See, Texas has a dynamic quarterback situation that cannot be ignored. However, if Arizona State can stretch the game and create opportunities, they could definitely be in it. As Josh Pate put it, this is ASU’s “biggest moment now,” and “I’ll tell you what they [ASU] won’t do…and that is repeat the mistakes that Indiana made against Notre Dame.” The lesson here? Don’t do what Indiana did.

Despite having the nation’s second-ranked defense at the time, the Hoosiers crumbled under the pressure. They tried to go toe-to-toe with Notre Dame conservatively and ended up imploding, losing 27-17. “The game crushed them,” Pate noted, a warning Arizona State can’t ignore. With a top-25 defense of their own, the Sun Devils have a critical opportunity to step up. But Texas has the firepower to “crush” them if ASU doesn’t adapt.

Pate also mentioned how Texas struggled against teams like Georgia, where they were harassed and sacked multiple times. But here’s the kicker: Arizona State ranks 120th in pressure rate, meaning they haven’t been able to consistently affect opposing quarterbacks. If they can’t get to Quinn Ewers, it could be a long day for them. Ewers has shown that if you give him time, he will pick apart defenses.

It is a do-or-die situation for Arizona State, and to have a fighting chance, their stars need to shine bright. The head coach and his staff have not made sure that their defense displays their A game. So far, they faced two top-30 defenses this season and scored 28 points or less in both games. Moving ahead, let’s see what the final prediction says.

Defense vs. offense

College football fans, are you ready for the first round of the College Football Playoff? The big question is: Which team will come out on top and secure a spot in the semifinals of the first-ever 12-team college football playoff?

As discussed above, Texas has one of the best defenses in the country, ranking first in adjusted EPA per play and yards allowed among all FBS teams. If we closely look at their schedule, aside from their two losses to the second-seeded Georgia Bulldogs, the Longhorns have looked nearly unstoppable.

On the other hand, Arizona State has turned into an offensive powerhouse. The Sun Devils have won six games in a row, averaging over 37 points per game during that stretch. Additionally, they have climbed to become the eighth most efficient offense in the nation based on plays. Both teams will enter the game with 11 victories in their pocket, but it is important to note that the Sun Devils have not one but two narrow victories.

One was against BYU 28-23 and the other instance was Texas State’s game in San Marcos 31-28. Therefore, they need to be more careful about how they end their game. Now who are you rooting for?
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