Kickoff: Saturday, 10:30 p.m. ET
Line: Stanford -3.5, Total: 53.5

No. 23 Stanford travels to Tempe on Saturday night to take on No. 17 Arizona State in a game that could have huge implications in the Pac 12.

The Cardinal are coming off a 34-17 victory against Washington State, a game in which they held the top passing offense in the country to only 292 passing yards. While Stanford was dominant last week, it has struggled after big wins in the past two seasons, going 0-6 ATS after a victory by 17+ points. The Sun Devils are coming off a bye, but are still riding high from a thrilling 38-34 victory at USC on Oct. 4 when WR Jaelen Strong caught a Hail Mary at the end of the game. Coach Todd Graham has been great at getting his teams to play well at home against top teams, as his squads are 9-1 ATS in home games as an underdog of 7 points or less. Although these schools are an even 10-10 (SU and ATS) since 1993, Stanford has gotten the upper hand recently with four straight wins (3-1 ATS), including two victories last year. In the regular season meeting in Palo Alto, the Cardinal led 29-0 at half and held on for a 42-28 victory, and then in the Pac-12 Championship Game in Tempe, Stanford piled up 517 total yards in a 38-14 blowout. The big injury news in this game is that ASU star QB Taylor Kelly (foot) is expected to play, but he may not start. The Cardinal will miss WR Devon Cajuste (head), while TE Austin Hooper is questionable with an undisclosed injury.

Who will prevail in this key Pac-12 showdown? For the answer, connect to College Football Best Bets for all the StatFox Experts picks throughout the 2014 regular season and bowl season. StatFox Brian is heating up with a 67% ATS mark (6-3) in Best Bets over the past two weeks.

The Cardinal calling card is their defense, as they lead the nation in points allowed (10.0 PPG). Stanford has developed talented linebackers the past two seasons, and leading tackler LB Blake Martinez (46 tackles, 3 PD, 1 INT) appears to be continuing the tradition. LB A.J. Tarpley (41 tackles, 4 TFL, 2 sacks) can also make plays from sideline to sideline. The defense has been excellent all year, but the offense is going to have to play very well in this game, as the Sun Devils are going to score some points. QB Kevin Hogan (1,325 pass yards, 11 TD, 4 INT) has continued to play solid fundamental football for the Cardinal. He does not always put up big numbers, but he was quite efficient in the Pac-12 Championship win over ASU when he completed 12-of-18 passes for 277 yards (15.4 YPA), 1 TD and 0 INT. The ground game averages 150.5 YPG (85th in FBS), but is not the same attack the Cardinal have put on the field the past few seasons. RB Remound Wright (51 carries, 278 yards, 2 TD) is the leading rusher on the team, but RB Barry Sanders (31 carries, 235 yards, 7.6 YPC) also has some play-making ability from the position. Senior WR Ty Montgomery (37 catches, 359 yards, 4 total TD) is a dynamic player that can influence a game in many different ways. He is especially on special teams, where he has forced opponents to hesitate to kick to him. His job will be even tougher as the Cardinal's next two top receivers, WR Devon Cajuste and TE Austin Hooper, both appear to be missing this game. That will put even more pressure on the rushing attack.

The Sun Devils enter this game ranked 9th in FBS passing (340.4 YPG), 14th in scoring (41.2 PPG) and 29th in rushing (216.4 YPG). QB Mike Bercovici (1,077 pass yards, 9 TD, 2 INT) has filled in for injured QB Taylor Kelly (625 pass yards, 168 rush yards, 8 total TD). There is an outside chance that Kelly could play in this game, but it appears Bercovici will be the starter. He is coming off a game against USC in which he threw for 510 yards on 11.3 YPA. One thing Kelly does better than Bercovici is run the ball, which fits the Sun Devils offense. RB D.J. Foster (73 carries, 553 yards, 280 rec yards, 7 total TD) can make big plays both rushing and receiving. He is a physical runner for his size, but he has the chance to take it the distance on any given play. WR Jaelen Strong (41 catches, 614 yards, 5 TD) is a matchup nightmare at the wide receiver position. He can be too physical for shorter cornerbacks at 6-foot-3 and 212 pounds, but is also fast enough to get behind the defense. The Sun Devils were in a similar situation earlier in the season with a home game against a top team, but fell flat in a blowout loss to UCLA. The defense that allows 31.4 PPG (92nd in nation) surrendered 62 points in that game. DB Damarious Randall (51 tackles, 5 TFL, 1 FF) is the heart-and-soul on this defensive unit. A big problem for the Sun Devils defense is its struggles to force turnovers, as the unit has forced only six on the season with zero takeaways in the past two contests. DB Jordan Simone (45 tackles, 3 TFL, 1 INT and 1 FF) is the biggest playmaker on the defensive unit. The Cardinal are going to make things difficult for the Sun Devils, and have a chance to hold them well below their scoring average. That will force the defense of Arizona State to play much better.