We've got one game in the books, and the Sun Devils are 1-0. But now, their first real test of the season begins, as they travel east to SEC country, where it (supposedly) means more.
Mississippi State only won two games last year, with one of their many losses coming against Arizona State, but this year's rematch figures to be tougher. The Bulldogs are in their second year under head coach Jeff Lebby, with more cohesion in their schemes and a full offseason of recruiting to retool the roster.
Arizona State is favored by 6.5 points, a decent figure considering the hostile environment, but some have wondered aloud if this could be a trap game. After all, last year's victory marked the program's first ever win over an SEC team, and this game would be their first ever road win over an SEC team.
Can they do it? We've assembled our panel of experts to offer their final thoughts and predictions ahead of kickoff.
Austen Bundy (1-0)
Arizona State and the SEC do not mix well on the road. Granted, this is a new era of Sun Devil football but head coach Kenny Dillingham will need start rewriting history like he said he intended the program to do at the outset of the season. Mississippi State may be the bottom of the barrel in the SEC at the moment but that doesn't change the fact that the cowbells and lack of Southern hospitality will be a factor in this one.
Quarterback Sam Leavitt will need to minimize mistakes and the run game must be in its top form if there's any chance the Sun Devils are going to maintain a healthy lead. The Bulldogs won't just roll over, but ASU needs to prove it's more bite than bark this year.
Prediction: Sun Devils win 37-34
Andrew Hayslett (1-0)
In a homecoming game, Kyson Brown has a huge game along with the rest of the running backs. This will be a back-and-forth game, where the Sun Devils pull out in the end.
Prediction: Sun Devils win 33-26
Tom Hardon (1-0)
This game has all the makings of a potential trap game. Mississippi State’s fast paced offense combined with the chaotic atmosphere produced by the cowbells is a recipe for confusion for the Sun Devils’ defense.
Look for Kyson and Raleek Brown to be a bigger factor than last week in the running game. The potential absence of Jalen Moss should heighten the need for Sam Leavitt to spread the ball to more targets than just Jordyn Tyson. If he’s successful in that, we could have a shootout on our hands.
Prediction: Sun Devils win 41-35
David Howman (1-0)
I see this game turning into a shootout. For the Sun Devils, that connection between Sam Leavitt and Jordyn Tyson is clearly on another level, and other targets like Jalen Moss, Jaren Hamilton, and Chamon Metayer should all get more involved this week. Mississippi State also runs a lightning fast offense, which makes it really hard on defenses to keep up.
This won't be a good game for people who like defensive football, but scoring should come in bunches. That makes me a bit nervous, because it can be hard to score consistently in a stadium like this one, but I do believe Leavitt has the poise to deliver in crunch time.
Prediction: Sun Devils win 59-49.