Sun Devil Stadium - Tempe, AZ
Kickoff: Thursday, 10:30 p.m. ET
Line: Arizona State -2.5, Total: 66

Two Pac-12 schools trying to salvage disappointing seasons and not fall back to .500 will meet on Thursday night in Tempe when Oregon visits Arizona State.

The Ducks (3-4 ATS) have alternated wins and losses all season, bouncing back from a shocking 45-38 home loss to Washington State on Oct. 10 with a 26-20 victory at Washington last game on Oct. 17. Despite the struggles this season, they are a perfect 3-0 ATS on the road. The Sun Devils (2-5 ATS) are just 1-3 ATS at home and are trying to get back in the win column after being pounded at Utah 34-18 on Oct. 17. Thursday will mark the first meeting for these schools since 2012 when Oregon rolled to a 43-21 victory in Tempe, marking its eighth straight win (6-1-1 ATS) in the series, which have all been by double-digits. The last time Arizona State prevailed in this matchup was back in 2004, but the club is 5-4 ATS (3-6 SU) at home in this series since 1996. The betting trends lean towards the underdog Ducks, who are 6-0 ATS with a 19.2 PPG margin in October road games since 2013 and fall into the category of good offensive road teams (31+ PPG) going 61-27 ATS (69%) after finishing Under the total in the past five seasons where the line is +3 to -3. But the Sun Devils are 33-17 ATS at home in weeks 5 through 9 since 1992 and Todd Graham is 7-0 ATS at home in his coaching career after allowing 125 or less rushing yards in two straight games. While Oregon has only one new significant injury to deal with after the bye week (DB Chris Seisay out indefinitely with a foot injury), Arizona State lost TE Dan Vear (undisclosed) for the season and has three others questionable for Thursday in TE Grant Martinez (ankle), LB Nick Ralston (undisclosed) and FS Armand Perry (ankle).

Which Pac-12 team will earn its fifth win of the season on Thursday night? For the answer, connect to College Football Best Bets for all the StatFox Experts picks throughout the 2015 regular season and bowl season. StatFox Brian is starting to heat up with a 58% ATS record (7-5) on Best Bets over the past two weeks.

Oregon's offense isn't as powerful as in recent years, but is still averaging 39.3 PPG and 516 total YPG. However, these numbers dip to 31.7 PPG and 470 total YPG on the road. The ground game has been particularly impressive during the 2015 campaign with 297 rushing YPG on 5.9 YPC, but the team is also capable of throwing the football with 219 passing YPG on 7.9 YPA and 61% completions. Senior QB Vernon Adams Jr. finally appears to be healthy and is coming off a solid 272 passing yards at Washington where he tossed 2 TD and 0 INT. In his only other road game back on Sept. 12 at Michigan State, the Eastern Washington transfer threw for 309 yards and a touchdown, but was also picked off twice. His favorite target is junior WR Bralon Addison, whose 31 receptions are more than twice as much as any teammate, leading to a team-high 365 yards and 3 TD. Addison's lone 100-yard effort came in that trip to East Lansing, so he's definitely glad Adams is back under center. While the Ducks have several explosive ball carriers, none are as productive as sophomore RB Royce Freeman who has galloped for 997 yards on 6.6 YPC and nine touchdowns this season. Freeman has topped 100 yards on the ground in five of his seven games including three straight contests of at least 138 rushing yards. But for Oregon to finally string together a two-game win streak, it will have to shore up its defense that has surrendered 36.0 PPG and 462 total YPG this year. The main deficiency is a pass defense giving up 307 YPG on 7.0 YPA and 64% completions, as the run-stop unit has limited teams to a respectable 155 rushing YPG on 4.5 YPC. The Ducks have 13 forced turnovers this year though, and are facing a Sun Devils club that has yet to produce a turnover-free game.

Arizona State's offense isn't as powerful as head coach Todd Graham would like with 29.1 PPG on 420 total YPG for the season, but those numbers jump to 32.7 PPG and 481 total YPG at home. While the Sun Devils have gained 264 YPG (6.7 YPA) on 58% completions, they have only 156 rushing YPG on 4.1 YPC, including a miserable 15 yards on 28 carries in their last game at Utah. Senior QB Mike Bercovici has only one 300-yard passing game in 2015, but has thrown for more than 240 yards in six straight contests, tossing 14 TD and only 5 INT this season. He's not reliant on just one receiver, as six different players have gained more than 200 yards with senior WR Devin Lucien leading the way with 338 receiving yards, including a season-high 118 at Utah. Junior WR Tim White owns a team-best five receiving touchdowns and went for a season-high 144 yards and 2 TD in his last home game on Oct. 10 versus Colorado. Sophomore RB Demario Richard leads the team with 529 rushing yards (5.2 YPC) despite missing the Utah loss with a knee injury, but he is probable to return on Thursday. He'll try to sustain drives and take the pressure off a middling ASU defense allowing 27.3 PPG and 381 total YPG. The run-stop unit has played very well in limiting opponents to 129 YPG on 3.2 YPC, but the secondary has surrendered 252 passing YPG on 7.9 YPA. The Sun Devils have generated only nine turnovers all season and will likely need to force some mistakes to beat the high-powered Ducks.