The Territorial Cup is returning to its rightful place in Tempe after the No. 16 Sun Devils went down to Tucson and battered their rival Arizona Wildcats 49-7 in the regular season finale.
It was a spanking from the very start with ASU getting out to a 35-0 lead at halftime and building upon it in the second half, unlike the previous last two games where head coach Kenny Dillingham and Co. needed to hold on for dear life and the win.
If you're not watching Arizona State versus Arizona right now, this is what's going on. pic.twitter.com/KxSHtTE0gg
β Anthony Totri (@Anthony_Totri) November 30, 2024
ASU was heavily favored entering Saturday but of course some fans (mostly Arizona loyalists) were not ready to give the Devils their flowers. See Jason Scheer and some other Wildcat Authority writers' predictions for the game... and then reaction to the absolute butt whooping.
ππππππππππππ https://t.co/CSMwE84Kms pic.twitter.com/mwpCt32982
β Danny Shapiro (@DannyShapiro13) November 30, 2024
Of course, that didn't mean ASU wasn't getting the recognition it deserves. The ESPN College GameDay crew unanimously predicted the Sun Devils would win and even praised running back Cam Skattebo for his recent efforts as one of the best rushers in the game this year.
College GameDay went from not knowing Arizona State was a Big 12 title contender to talking about Cam Skattebo being a Heisman contender in a span of two weeks. pic.twitter.com/bHo1wjgbNx
β Derek Duke (@DerekDuke25) November 30, 2024
To which Skattebo responded post-game:
Cam Skattebo was asked about being Nick Sabanβs favorite player:
β Jordan Hamm (@JordyHamm) December 1, 2024
Iβd rather be CKDβs favorite player. pic.twitter.com/xsPWpsX3MB
Fans react online to ASU's big rivalry win over Arizona
All said and done, Sun Devil fans showed out online and displayed for the rest of college football fandom why ASU has been No. 1 in innovation for over a decade. Check out some of the best reactions and moments from the big win.
Arizona State fans not going unnoticed today π€£ pic.twitter.com/ZTcnt5JCVI
β PHNX Sun Devils (@PHNX_SunDevils) November 30, 2024
Hey @GrahamRossini, time to clear some room in the trophy case, @ASUFootball has some hardware coming home π
β Arizona State Sun Devils (@TheSunDevils) November 30, 2024
ASU plants the fork in Arizona Stadium ππ±@ASUFootball pic.twitter.com/F1sU4qJugA
β FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 30, 2024
An Arizona defensive coach, hoping to hype his guys up, head butted a player pregame until he bled.
β Chancellor Johnson (@ChancellorTV) November 30, 2024
Itβs 35-0 Arizona State. At the half
pic.twitter.com/feE1ix1le3
Did U of A win the Territorial Cup like they said they would?: pic.twitter.com/MKDnX8pIe2
β ππ§π€ππͺπππ§πππ¨ (@ProducerWes) November 30, 2024
#hAteWeek pic.twitter.com/VxODPIGnkl
β Sun Devil Memes (@SunDevilMemes) December 1, 2024
With the win Saturday, ASU secured its first 10-win season since 2014 and it's tenth in program history. Some may remember the Sun Devils were awfully close to the College Football Playoff that year as well, reaching as high as No. 6 before ultimately falling short in the final weeks.
All signs point to a Big 12 Championship Game appearance for ASU. A win would see the team win its first conference title since 1996, another fantastic year unfortunately cut just short of a national title in the Rose Bowl.
The Fox broadcast of the game noted Dillingham told them "sometimes the season chooses you." Well, if there's ever a time to test that theory, this would be it for ASU.
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