Arizona @ Arizona State preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 23, 2012 ) Arizona State 41, Arizona 34

While the stakes are much higher for Arizona State, the No. 18 Sun Devils can expect a true test from when they host rival Arizona in the battle for the Territorial Cup on Saturday. Arizona State needs a win to lock up home-field advantage against Stanford in the upcoming Pac-12 title game. The Sun Devils may have to go without leading rusher Marion Grice as the senior tailback suffered an ankle injury late in last week's big win over UCLA.

Arizona is coming off a monstrous effort when it ended then No. 5 Oregon's Rose Bowl hopes with a shocking 42-17 victory. The Wildcats are looking to avenge last year's setback when they blew a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter falling 41-34. The visiting team has won the last four meetings in the series.

TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network. LINE: Arizona State -12

ABOUT ARIZONA (7-4, 4-4 Pac-12): Ka'Deem Carey rushed for 206 yards and scored a touchdown in each quarter in last week's win over the Ducks. Carey, also on the Heisman radar, has 1,559 yards and 16 TDs on the season and has rushed for over 100 yards in 14 straight games. Quarterback B.J. Denker had a career day last week completing 19-of-22 passes for 189 yards while rushing for another 102 as the Wildcats snapped a two-game losing streak and handed coach Rich Rodriguez his biggest win with the program.

ABOUT ARIZONA STATE (9-2, 7-1 Pac-12): The Sun Devils have won six straight and are 6-0 at home this year with an average margin of victory of 26.8 points per game. Grice, who is four yards shy of 1,000 on the season, left last week's game against UCLA on crutches and is questionable. If he can't go, the nation's 10th-highest scoring offense (41.9 points) is still confident in backups Deantre Lewis and D.J. Foster and quarterback Taylor Kelly is a dual threat, having rushing for 411 yards to go along with 25 touchdown passes.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Arizona State has home wins over two-ranked teams (Wisconsin and USC).

2. Seven of the last nine games in the series have been decided by seven points or less.

3. Arizona leads the all-time series 47-38-1.

PREDICTION: Arizona 30, Arizona State 28