Two teams projected to finish towards the bottom of their respective conference look to get off to a strong start in 2024.
Arizona State was riddled with injuries in head coach Kenny Dillingham’s first season in Tempe in 2023, but the team showed what a healthy unit can do by blowing out Wyoming in its opener. The team will face Mississippi State in its first measuring stick matchup against Power Four competition, who has turned to first-year head coach Jeff Lebby, who runs an up-tempo offense.
Lebby comes from Oklahoma and is hoping to hit the ground running with a notable road win as a considerable underdog, but is Arizona State further along than expected?
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Mississippi State
Blake Shapen: The Baylor transfer is the leader of new head coach Jeff Lebby’s offense, and while the only data point we have is against an FCS foe, Shapen seemed in control. The senior quarterback completed 15-of-20 passes for 247 yards with three touchdowns in his debut, a 56-7 win against Eastern Kentucky.
Arizona State
Sam Leavitt: The Michigan State transfer won the QB1 job in fall camp, and looked in complete control of the Sun Devils offense in the team’s 48-7 win against Wyoming. He completed 14-of-22 passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns. How will he handle an SEC defense?
I think this game is ripe for a shootout.
In Week 1, Mississippi State ran over 2.8 plays per minute, among the fastest in the country. This was expected under Lebby, and it makes me bullish that the team will continue to do so moving forward, even if the team runs into a better defense like Arizona State.
The Sun Devils defense showed promise last season and shut down a one-dimensional Wyoming offense in Week 1, but I believe that the Bulldogs’ up-tempo attack can create scoring chances.
Meanwhile, the Sun Devils offense, which lost 51 starts on the offensive line last season to the preseason projected depth chart, looked the part under a sharp offensive mind like Dillingham. While the team’s pace was weighed down, a lot of that had to do with the game script and scoreboard. Overall, Arizona State averaged more than seven yards per play.
I believe ASU will be a willing participant in an up-tempo affair with its revitalized offense with Leavitt under center. The team ranked 60th last season in seconds per play despite being gashed by injuries and needing to slow games down to keep them competitive, but Dillingham’s preference is to play fast.
Both coaches are offensive-minded and want to go fast. I’ll bank on points on Saturday night.
PICK: OVER 56.5
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
Follow Reed on Twitter @ReedWallach and get all his college football bets on betstamp @rw33
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Publish date : 2024-09-02 10:36:00
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