Here at SBNation, we have a wealth of quality blogs that write about the daily struggles and achievements of both professional and collegiate sports programs. Today, we take a look at what our USC and ASU blogs are saying about tonight's matchup between the Trojans and the Sun Devils.
First off, we take a look at Conquest Chronicles. They listed five reasons as to why USC will win tonight, and one of them is this:
ASU's offense is one dimensional. The Sun Devils have a great passing offense that must be supported by an efficient running game to keep pressure off the quarterback. Individually on the season their two leading rushers, Deantre Lewis and Cameron Marshall, average 6.5 and 4.8 per rush respectively. But they are inconsistent, putting up double digit per rush averages in some games while being held to paltry numbers in others. On Saturday, they are matched against the better half of the USC defense, it's run defense. That run defense got blasted last week, giving up more than 200 yards to Oregon's LaMichael James. But what is lost in those numbers is that the Trojan defense held James' to under four yards on half of his 36 rushes.
While House Of Sparky can't think of five good reasons that the Sun Devils will win, the recruiting advantage from a possible victory is hard to ignore:
Long story short, ASU already does pretty well recruiting in the Los Angeles area, and a win on the road would further raise awareness of the school and the opportunities available to high school talent. Truth be told, if you're an excellent player, chances are you'll be playing a meaningful role almost immediately, just like Deantre Lewis has this season and Vontaze Burfict did in 2009.
Both teams are fighting for a bowl berth - if USC wins tonight, they will be eligible, and if ASU pulls of the road upset, they will be two wins away from clinching a postseason bowl berth. The schedule doesn't get any easier from here, so the Sun Devils will need to step up their game tonight.