NCAA Football
2025-01-01 - Texas Longhorns at Arizona State Sun Devils
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : College Football PlayOff Quarter Final
Wednesday 1st January 2024 - Scheduled 1pm
6pm (British Time)
Preview
After being tipped up to finish in the basement of the Big 12 in their first season in the Conference following a move away from the Pac-12, the Arizona State Sun Devils (11-2) have stunned the naysayers.
Instead of planning for the 2025 season while others enjoyed the Bowl Season, the Sun Devils crushed the Iowa State Cyclones in the Big 12 Championship Game to earn a spot in the College Football Playoff. Not just earn a spot, but earn a Bye through to the Quarter Final in Atlanta where the Sun Devils will be in a familiar underdog spot.
There they will be facing the Texas Longhorns (12-2) who left the Big 12 to become a member of the SEC and who were beaten in the Championship Game in this Stadium in early December. The defeat did not prevent Texas from earning a spot in the Playoff, but they had to crush the Clemson Tigers, the ACC Champion, in the First Round to earn their spot in this Quarter Final.
The Longhorns were significant favourites to beat Clemson and did exactly what was expected of them and Texas will be heading into this Quarter Final as the strongest favourite of the Round.
A huge challenge awaits Arizona State even if the team has the momentum of having won six games in a row.
They will not have faced too many Defensive units of the power of the Texas Longhorns and this balanced Sun Devils Offense is going to need to have planned to produce their absolute best in this game. Everything begins with Cam Skattebo and the run game and the Sun Devils Defensive Line have been very strong up front all season, although we have to keep coming back to the fact that they will not have tried establishing the run against a Defensive Line like the one the Longhorns trot out onto the field.
It may mean more pressure on Sam Leavitt at Quarter Back who has exploited the fact that he has a star Running Back playing behind him. All credit has to be given to Leavitt for putting up the numbers he has and this Longhorns team can be attacked through the air, but that becomes much tougher when you think the Sun Devils are without their top Receiver Jordyn Tyson.
Facing a SEC Defensive unit after a season playing in the Big 12 is a big gap to bridge and Arizona State would have needed every top player to be available.
The pressure will be on the Sun Devils Defense to try and keep the team in the game, but they are also going to be playing a unit that they have not met every week. The Longhorns showed their power at the Offensive Line in crushing the Clemson Tigers, although the Arizona State Defensive Line will certainly feel they are playing at a decent level and can at least force Quinn Ewers to have to make some big throws.
Texas fans have perhaps been a little critical of Quinn Ewers with Archie Manning sitting behind him, but this should be a game in which the Quarter Back is given time to make his plays down the field. Interceptions have been a concern, and probably dropped Ewers stock a little bit, but he did enough to keep Texas moving in the First Round win over Clemson and that might be all the Longhorns need in this one too.
With the likelihood of the SEC team winning the turnover battle overall, Texas may just exert their strength and quality on the contest and they may just be able to make a few big Defensive plays in the Fourth Quarter to match the kind of margin produced in the win over the Clemson Tigers.
Prediction
Lay the points with the favourite in this College Football Playoff Quarter Final.
The Pick :
Arizona State Sun Devils 17-34 Texas Longhorns
