Week 6 of the college football season is here. Kansas Football plays Arizona State Football, and Heartland College Sports has your game prediction, preview, and betting odds ahead of the matchup.
GAME INFO
Saturday, Oct. 6; 7 p.m. (CT); Mountain American Stadium; Tempe, Ariz.
TV: ESPN2.
Records: Kansas (1-4, 0-2 in Big 12); Arizona State (3-1, 0-1)
Last Week: Kansas football lost to TCU, 38-27; Arizona State football was idle.
Series History: Arizona State leads series, 5-1.
Last Meeting: Kansas 34, Arizona State 27 (2022)
Fun Fact: Kansas’ victory was in a bowl game and ended a five-game losing streak to Arizona State that dated back to 1964. The two teams have never met in Lawrence in any of their six meetings.
Kansas vs. Arizona State Betting Lines and Odds
Opening Line: Arizona State (-3)
Over/Under: 50.5
Key Players
Kansas
WR Luke Grimm
The senior wide receiver is having a fine season, with 30 receptions for 317 yards and four touchdowns. With six receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown against TCU, he moved to No. 4 in Kansas history with 156 career receptions, surpassing Mark Simmons (155 receptions, 2022-05). Grimm also hauled in his 21st career touchdown reception, which ranks second in school history. He ended the game with 2,099 career receiving yards, which ranks sixth in program history.
CB Mello Dotson
Dotson picked off another pass last week against TCU, which was the 10th of his career. With teammates Cobee Bryant, the pair have a combined 20 career interceptions. Bryant and Dotson are the active leaders in FBS football for interceptions by a duo. They are also among a group of five players tied for No. 5 in Kansas history with 10 interceptions, matching the marks of Wayne Ziegler (1983-86), LeRoy Irvin (1976-79) and Gary Adams (1970-72).
Arizona State
RB Cam Skattebo
If you weren’t familiar with Cam Skattebo and watched the Mississippi State game you probably asked, “Who is this guy?” He dumped 262 yards rushing on the Bulldogs that night, garnering national attention. He’s rushed for 433 yards and five touchdowns this season. But defenses are focusing hard on him, as he’s combined for 122 yards in his last two games. Still, he’s capable of fully dominating a contest.
DB Myles Rowser
The junior from Detroit, Mich., can do a little bit of everything for the Sun Devils. He leads them in tackles with 37. He has a sack. He’s defended three passes. He’s even got a cool nickname — “Ghost.” Well, these days he’s hard to miss. Last year with New Mexico State he had 70 tackles and helped the Aggies win 10 games for the first time since 1960. The transfer has fit right in with the Sun Devils.
KEY STORYLINES
Kansas
The Jayhawks are in trouble now. After beating Lindenwood, Kansas hasn’t won another game. Its first game at Arrowhead Stadium against TCU saw them fall to the Horned Frogs. The Jayhawks may need to make changes, but it’s hard to tell if they’re forthcoming. The most functional part of the offense right now is running back Devin Neal. But it hasn’t been enough to lead to another win. The defense has given up 32 or more points in each of their last two losses. TCU’s Josh Hoover torched Kansas for 356 yards passing with three touchdowns.
Arizona State
The Sun Devils rolled through their non-conference schedule, winning all three games. It was deceptively rigorous, with wins over Wyoming (which beat Texas Tech last year), the SEC’s Mississippi State and upstart Sun Belt power Texas State on the road. But reality hit Arizona State a bit in its Big 12 opener against Texas Tech, where it went to Lubbock and fell to the Red Raiders by eight points. With a bye week comes a reset and a chance to challenge Kansas and continue to build a path toward returning to a bowl game.
PREDICTION: Arizona State 31, Kansas 27
Kansas hasn’t won a road game yet and can seem to put a full game together. The Sun Devils are 2-0 at home. I suspect ASU will defend its turf.
