It's recognized as the oldest rivalry trophy game in the nation, and there will be plenty at stake for Arizona football at ASU on Saturday.
The 7-4 (5-3) Wildcats will be playing for a more prestigious bowl game. It will also be a chance for head coach Rich Rodriguez to even up his personal record against the Sun Devils.
"They count as one in the standings one way or another," said Rodriguez. "It's the game that your fans are most passionate about. It's the game that your players probably hear most during the year so there is always more at stake from that standpoint."
The winner of this game gets in-state bragging rights, if not in-state recruits.
"It's probably overrated from a recruiting standpoint, " added Rodriguez. "From the standpoint of who wins the game, will they get more recruits, I don't know if that's affected anybody in six years. But, I do think the ones that are in state will probably understand the rivalry better than someone from another state that probably doesn't hear about it."
The Wildcats will be thin on the defensive line. Justin Belknap, Dereck Boles all suffered injuries in last week's loss at Oregon. Arizona has been strong in the secondary. The Wildcats seventeen defensive interceptions are tied for second-most nationally.
Arizona leads the all-time series 49-40-1. The home team has won the past four matchups.
