The Territorial Cup rolls back into Tucson on Friday, November 27, and this year the two rivals are headed in very different directions.
Bush’s Picks
ASUARIZ
ASUARIZ
OverUnder
Best BetArizona
Arizona brings back a quarterback who just set the program's single-season touchdown record, while Arizona State is still sorting out who even lines up under center. The preseason polls back that gap up, with the Wildcats slotted 3rd in the Big 12 and the Sun Devils all the way down at 7th. Take Arizona to win a rivalry game where continuity matters more than pedigree.
Arizona State
+Defending 2024 Big 12 champs, proven program pedigree
+Dillingham signed long-term extension, no staff turmoil
+Added portal QBs Boley and Keene as a reset
−Lost QB Sam Leavitt to injury, then to LSU
−Lost top-10 NFL pick WR Jordyn Tyson
−Preseason picked 7th in the Big 12
Arizona
+Fifita returns after program-record 29-TD season
+Coming off best season in years, went 9-4
+Preseason picked 3rd in Big 12, well above ASU
−Lost the Holiday Bowl finale to SMU
−Nearly 18 outgoing transfers hit the defense
−Tight end depth questions after roster overhaul
Arizona State walked into 2025 as the defending Big 12 champs and limped out with an 8-5 finish, and the offseason didn't get any gentler. Sam Leavitt, the QB who authored the 2024 title run, suffered a season-ending foot injury and then left for LSU instead of testing the draft, leaving the Sun Devils to sort out a new starter between transfers Cutter Boley and Mikey Keene. Arizona, meanwhile, gets to keep the best story in the building: Noah Fifita is back for one more year after throwing a program-record 29 touchdowns in 2025, and he's said flat out his goal is a Big 12 title, not a personal trophy.
The gap in continuity shows up in the preseason polls — Big 12 media types slotted Arizona 3rd and Arizona State all the way down at 7th, a sign of just how much losing Leavitt and top-10 pick Jordyn Tyson stings. Arizona's own roster isn't bulletproof; the Wildcats churned through nearly 18 outgoing transfers and are nursing some tight end questions after their portal facelift, but replacing complementary pieces is a different problem than replacing your quarterback and your leading receiver.
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ASU Arizona State
ARIZ Arizona
None of that changes what the Territorial Cup means. Arizona leads the all-time series 52-45-1, even though Arizona State has owned the rivalry lately, winning 15 of the last 24 meetings. Brent Brennan's team gets a shot to flip that recent trend on its home turf, in front of a fan base that hasn't had a season this good in years after Arizona went 9-4 in 2025.
Arizona State Sun Devils
Nov 20?vs Oklahoma State—
Nov 13?@ UCF—
Nov 6?vs Colorado—
Oct 30?@ BYU—
Oct 16?@ Texas Tech—
Oct 9?vs Hawai'i—
Oct 2?vs Baylor—
Sep 19?@ Kansas—
Sep 12?@ Texas A&M—
Sep 5?vs Morgan State—
Arizona Wildcats
Nov 20?@ Kansas State—
Nov 13?vs Utah—
Nov 6?vs TCU—
Oct 30?@ Texas Tech—
Oct 9?@ West Virginia—
Oct 2?vs Cincinnati—
Sep 26?@ Washington State—
Sep 19?vs Northern Illinois—
Sep 12?@ BYU—
Sep 5?vs Northern Arizona—
Recent form.
Fifita's supporting cast got a defensive facelift too — the Wildcats added Oregon safety Daylen Austin and Nebraska's Malcolm Hartzog through the portal, aiming for a sturdier unit than the one that let the season slip away in the Holiday Bowl loss to SMU. ASU is banking on unproven arms behind center to hold a rivalry road crowd at bay, and until one of Boley or Keene actually wins the job and settles in, that's the biggest swing factor for both teams heading into this game.
Arizona State Sun Devils
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Arizona Wildcats
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
Kenny Dillingham got paid long-term to stick around in Tempe, so there's no urgency crisis for ASU, but this is exactly the kind of measuring-stick date where a shorthanded roster and a new starter feel pressure fastest. Arizona controls its own trajectory here — win the rivalry game with a quarterback built for a Big 12 run, and the rankings will follow. Tucson hasn't hosted a Territorial Cup with this much riding on the home team in a long time.
