More than just pride at stake for ASU, Arizona

Dennis Erickson has coached in Arizona Stadium several times, having brought his teams from Washington State, Miami (Fla.) and Oregon State to Tucson.

However, that experience will likely be of little use. Those previous Erickson teams, while formidable, did not stir up much passion and ire among Wildcat fans.

The Arizona State squad that travels to the Old Pueblo will definitely provoke plenty of both. ASU and Arizona meet in the 82nd Territorial Cup game at 6 p.m. on Saturday.

"I can't compare this to the other times I've been there," said Erickson, in his second year in Tempe. "It will be totally different in a rival game. It's the biggest game of the year for both teams."

Arizona will be playing for bowl positioning, while ASU needs a victory to qualify for the postseason. And both schools will be seeking redemption for a season that has not lived up to expectations.

The Wildcats lead the all-time series 44-36-1, but have dropped seven of the last nine matchups, including the last three.

"They'll play their best," said Erickson, who is 8-2 against Arizona in his career. "They're a talented outfit. I'm sure it will be a hard-hitting game, as always.

"(Coach) Mike (Stoops) has done a nice job down there. That team is getting better and better."

The winner will finish fifth in the Pac-10 standings and figures to be bound for the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco on Dec. 27, against an ACC opponent. If ASU wins, Arizona will head to the Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve, against a WAC foe (likely Hawaii).

There is a chance, though, that the Sun Devils (or the Wildcats, for that matter) could be elevated to the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 20, against a Mountain West school.

The Las Vegas and Emerald bowls have flexibility with the Pac-10's Nos. 4 and 5 selections, respectively. That means the Las Vegas could bypass California to leave it as a local draw for the Emerald.

Also, the Las Vegas has coveted a chance to host one of the Arizona schools.

There is no consolation prize if the Sun Devils lose - with a seventh defeat, they will not go bowling. And that would leave the Pac-10 with five bowl teams and unable to fill its slots in the Hawaii and Poinsettia bowls.

Oregon State's loss against Oregon on Saturday means that Southern California will nab the Pac-10's BCS berth with a win against UCLA on Dec. 6. Oregon is likely headed to the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 30, Oregon State to the Sun Bowl on Dec. 31 and California to the Las Vegas or Emerald.

Arizona State

Record: 5-6 overall, 4-4 Pac-10

Season salvageability: With a victory on Saturday, the Sun Devils will clinch a bowl invitation and have four straight wins against Arizona for the first time since the 1970s. That is certainly not nothing. But a team that was ranked 15th in the preseason and picked to finish second in the Pac-10 should not have its bowl hopes hinging on the final game. Win or lose, expectations were not met in Tempe.

Defining moment: What else? The 23-20 overtime loss to Nevada Las-Vegas on Sept.13 not only battered the Sun Devils' confidence, but provided the opposition a blueprint (particularly defensively) to beat ASU. Five straight defeats followed.

A guy a Wildcat could like (and had better respect): Weak-side linebacker Mike Nixon is as reliable as they come, a guy who is almost never out of position. A 25-year-old junior who came to ASU after playing minor league baseball, Nixon leads the Pac-10 with five interceptions and is fifth in the league in tackles, with 81. He also has seven sacks.

Arizona

Record: 6-5 overall, 4-4 Pac-10

Season salvageability: The Wildcats will play in a bowl game for the first time since 1998, but a team with one of the softest schedules in the nation expected more than six victories. As a result, Arizona could be playing for more than the season on Saturday - coach Mike Stoops' job might be on the line.

Defining moment: There have been four, as in the number of games that the Wildcats have lost by eight points or fewer - an inexcusable nonconference defeat at New Mexico and Pac-10 games against Stanford, Southern California and Oregon State. That fits the unable-to-finish theme of Stoops' tenure, as Arizona is 5-16 in games decided by a touchdown or less in his five seasons.

A guy a Sun Devil could like (and had better respect): Tight end Rob Gronkowski is one of the best at his position in the nation. The athletic sophomore has been one of the offense's best weapons, despite drawing frequent double-teams. In eight games - he missed three due to mononucleosis - Gronkowski has 37 receptions for a 14.9-yard average and nine touchdowns.