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Arizona State Sun Devils @ Cal Golden Bears Football Preview

On the list of unpredictable, don’t-try-to-look-into-the-future games in week eight of the college football season, this Saturday’s matchup between Arizona State and Cal might rank at the very top. When the Sun Devils and Golden Bears get it on in Berkeley’s Memorial Stadium, no one knows what’s going to happen, and if they tell you they do, they’re lying.

The one predictable thing about coach Dennis Erickson’s Devils and coach Jeff Tedford’s Bears is that they will always confound observers, winning just enough games to make them appear credible yet displaying such cringe-worthy football that they can’t be taken too seriously. Arizona State and Cal have long been two of the Pac-10’s more enigmatic teams, joining UCLA and Arizona as perpetual sources of agony, amazement and confusion.

Just look at the journeys made by these two teams through the first seven weeks of the season. Both the Devils and Bears romped to huge wins against tomato cans in the first two weeks of the season. ASU crushed Portland State and Northern Arizona by a composite score of 95-29, while Cal opened its season by lighting up UC Davis and Colorado by a combined tally of 104-10. These two teams have also been shredded by an elite offense in extended games that featured spectacular athleticism but also a great deal of sloppiness. Cal’s high-octane but ultimately messy loss occurred in a 52-31 setback at Nevada, while ASU’s high-voltage defeat occurred in a 42-31 loss to Oregon.

The parallels just keep coming.

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ASU lost a one-point game on the road against a top-20 opponent it generally outplayed, all because of a missed kick (specifically, a blocked PAT in the final five minutes of regulation). The Devils roughed up Wisconsin but dropped a 20-19 decision and left Madison literally kicking themselves.

Cal, incredibly, suffered a very similar fate this season. The Bears manhandled Arizona in Tucson but, thanks to a missed field goal by kicker Giorgio Tavecchio, were not able to establish a two-possession (12-3) lead in the final minutes of regulation. Leading by only six points (9-3), the Bears were vulnerable to losing on a touchdown, and when a dormant Arizona offense finally woke up and stuck the ball in the end zone, the Bears suffered a 10-9 defeat which eerily mirrored ASU’s loss at Wisconsin.

Cal and ASU have also enjoyed a Pac-10 game in which they’ve thrived. The Golden Bears smacked around UCLA on Oct. 9, 35-7, by limiting the Bruins to just 144 total yards. The Sun Devils went into Seattle and ripped Washington, 24-14, on Oct. 9, smothering UW quarterback Jake Locker from start to finish.

These are twin teams, both 3-3 overall and 1-2 in the Pac-10. They both show flashes of brilliance but usually trip themselves up more often than not. Want to predict a winner? Good luck – you’ll need it this weekend in Berkeley.

By Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer