Wildcats, Sun Devils get ready for Territorial Cup

Stoops' 2-8 Wildcats stunned No. 18 Arizona State 34-27 in 2004 in Tucson, and the victory served as a milepost for a program trying to escape the shadow of the John Mackovic era.

"That gave us a lot of momentum, and it gave us hope after our first year, so that was significant in a lot of different ways," Stoops recalled this week.

Five years later, the roles are seemingly reversed.

Arizona isn't ranked, but the Wildcats were in contention for the Pac-10 title until last weekend's 44-41 double-overtime loss to Oregon. The Wildcats (6-4, 4-3 Pac-10) go to Tempe hoping to move up in the Pac-10's bowl pecking order, where seven teams are eligible for six slots.

ASU (4-7, 2-6) has posted back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since 1946-47. The Sun Devils have nothing to play for but pride, a powerful motivator in this bitter rivalry between state schools separated by 90 miles.

Well-traveled Arizona State coach Dennis Erickson has been involved in many heated rivalries, including Miami-Florida State, Oregon State-Oregon and Washington State-Washington. He said the Territorial Cup is every bit as intense.

"In a state where there are two schools like this, you're either a Sun Devil or a Wildcat, pretty much," Erickson said. "When you play that game, it's bragging rights for a year. That's what it's about. They're fun games to be involved in. People talk about them for 364 days and then the game comes and then they talk about it for another 364 days."

The Territorial Cup is the oldest college football trophy recognized by the NCAA. The series kicked off in 1899, and Arizona leads 45-36-1. That advantage was established early on, with the Wildcats winning 20 of the first 22 games.

ASU is 7-3 against Arizona since 1999, but the series has become tighter since Stoops arrived after the 2003 season.

After beating ASU in his first year, Stoops dropped three straight to the Sun Devils, losing twice by a field goal.

Last year, the Wildcats drubbed the Sun Devils 31-10 in Arizona Stadium.

This time, both teams are slumping as the regular season nears its end, and both have injury problems. The Wildcats will be without leading rusher Nic Grigsby, who has a sprained shoulder, and ASU's quarterbacks are banged up.

ASU has dropped five straight, and another loss would match the school single-season record losing streak for the second year in a row.

This is the second straight season that ASU seniors will miss out on a bowl trip. Erickson said he's "hurting bad" for a group that includes star linebacker Mike Nixon and Chris McGaha, whose 167 receptions ranks third in the long and talented line of ASU receivers.

"Obviously our goals were quite different at the beginning of the year than what we have accomplished, but they have done a lot for this program," Erickson said. "It's been disappointing. I feel very, very bad for them."

Arizona State has fallen off the radar in the two years since it met USC in a Thanksgiving night game with a Rose Bowl berth on the line.

ASU opened the 2007 season 8-0. Since then ASU is 11-17 — and six of the 11 victories have come over lower-division opponents and Pac-10 weaklings Washington and Washington State.

In the last two years, ASU has beaten one team with a winning record at kickoff — 1-0 Stanford in 2008.

The Wildcats, meanwhile, have lost back-to-back games for the first time this season. Last weekend's heartbreaker against Oregon cost the Wildcats a shot at their first Rose Bowl berth in 32 years as a Pac-10 member.

Arizona blew a 10-point fourth-quarter lead; the Wildcats led in the final quarter of all three of their conference losses.

"That was a tough game on Saturday, but we put it all out on the field," Arizona quarterback Nick Foles said.

Win or lose, ASU's season will be finished Saturday night. Arizona wraps up the regular season at No. 24 USC on Dec. 5.

It's the first time since 1986 that the Wildcats will have a regular-season game after the Territorial Cup.

"Everybody is still focused," Foles said. "They know we have two games left, and we've got to finish the season strong."