PAC-12 FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW
By DANIEL DULLUM
Sports Radio Service
Friday, December 6, 2013

TEMPE, Ariz. – It’s no surprise that Stanford is in the Pac-12 football championship game. The surprise, honestly, is the host team in Saturday’s showdown – Arizona State.

The preseason consensus figured the No. 11 Sun Devils (10-2 overall, 8-1 Pac-12) would improve significantly enough to be bowl-eligible, and, perhaps, land in one of the weedeater bowls at season’s end. Who knew the Devils would go on a seven-game tear that included a rousing win over UCLA to clinch the Pac-12 South and follow that with a merciless pounding of arch-rival Arizona to claim home field for the title match.

Now, the resurgent Sun Devils are looking at a trip to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1997, and their third-ever New Year’s Day trip to Pasadena since joining the Pac-12 in 1978.

No. 7 Stanford, meanwhile, has stumbled a bit of late, but this is still a solid Cardinal team that has the talent and discipline to beat ASU again, but maybe not by the 42-28 margin recorded on Sept. 21 at Stanford.

Remember, Stanford has become accustomed to big games like this. The Cardinal have won their last nine games against Top 25 opponents, including last year’s victories in the Pac-12 title game and Rose Bowl. While the national spotlight is fairly new to Arizona State’s program, it’s nothing new to Stanford.

Though the Cardinal aren’t known as road warriors, they figure to do fine at Sun Devil Stadium. Stanford is one of three FBS schools to win 10 games in each of the last four seasons, along with Alabama and Oregon.

ASU will be without Marion Grice – the Sun Devils’ leading rusher and scorer – who has been sidelined since suffering a leg injury against UCLA. Backup D.J. Foster, who ran for 124 yards and two touchdowns in the rout against Arizona, will be asked to step in again against a much tougher opponent.

One thing that could plague Stanford again is the turnover bug. The Cardinal have turned the ball over 17 times this season (nine interceptions and eight fumbles). That could be a huge factor on the road against an ASU defense that has converted 23 of its 30 league-leading forced turnovers into points.

The home logos may be covered up and the Pac-12 logo may be painted on the field, but it’s still going to be a partisan crowd Saturday at Sun Devil Stadium. Stanford wants to prove it’s still a big-game program, while ASU wants to prove it can be one too.

Kickoff is at 4:45 p.m. PST.