The annual in‑state showdown between the Arizona Wildcats and the Arizona State Sun Devils is set for this Friday night. Both teams enter with identical 8‑3 records and they are both ranked in the top 25 nationally. The winner of this game will finish with a better record than their in-state rival and Arizona State could still land in the Big 12 title game. Before the Territorial Cup, I’ve made my Arizona vs Arizona State prediction below.
Our Arizona vs Arizona State Pick
- Pick: Arizona State Sun Devils ML
- Confidence: ★★★★☆


Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Arizona Wildcats vs Arizona State Sun Devils
- Date & Time: Friday, November 28, 2025, 9:00 PM Eastern
- Venue: Mountain America Stadium, Tempe, AZ
- Broadcast: FOX
Key Storylines
- Both programs enter this game at 8‑3, making this the first time since 2014 that both sides head into the rivalry game with that many wins. Arizona carries a four‑game winning streak into the Territorial Cup and Arizona State has won three games in a row.
- An Arizona State victory keeps their slim path to a conference championship game appearance alive. ASU needs a win and a BYU loss, or a win and losses from Texas Tech and Utah to get to the Big 12 title game The Sun Devils’ running game will be the biggest key to their success in this contest.
- This rivalry is a storied one in college football. Arizona is 51-47-1 against Arizona State all-time and these teams have split their last four meetings.
Quarterback Play
Arizona’s signal‑caller is Noah Fifita, who has thrown for 2,677 yards this season with 25 touchdowns and just 5 interceptions. His efficiency and ball security will need to continue if the Wildcats are going to end their regular season with a win over their rivals. Sam Leavitt is out for the season for ASU and Jeff Sims took his place last week against Colorado. Sims has 7 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in his action so far this season.
Betting Trends
- Arizona is 7-4 against the spread going into this game.
- Arizona State enters the Territorial Cup at 5-5-1 against the spread.
- Both teams have seen 7 of their first 11 games stay under their respective totals.
Arizona vs Arizona State Model Projection
Score Projection: Arizona State 24 – Arizona 21
Win Probability: Arizona State 52%, Arizona 48%
Final Thoughts
This is going to be a very close game between two good football teams in the Big 12. But Arizona State should have a slight advantage in this matchup. They are at home and have conference championship aspirations still to play for. I’ll take the Sun Devils to get the job done here in the last game on the schedule in college football on Black Friday.

