Pac-12 Football 2017: 5 teams on upset alert in Week 7
By Zach Bigalke
No. 5 Washington heads to the desert this weekend for another #Pac12AfterDark thriller. They will square off against an Arizona State team that already has one upset win over an AP Top 25 team this year, after taking down then-No. 25 Oregon 37-35 in September. The Huskies are a 17.5-point favorite as of midweek, but this could be the weekend they slip up in a trap game.
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Neither team is going to beat itself, at least. Even more so than Washington, the Sun Devils are playing largely mistake-free football. That could help them win a Pac-12 showdown against a heavy favorite. Arizona State averages 3.8 penalties and fewer than 38 penalty yards per game, ranking among the top dozen teams nationally and first in the Pac-12.
Todd Graham’s team has also managed to protect the football, averaging only one turnover per game. If the defense can find a way to snag a fortuitous takeaway or two, it will level the playing field immensely against a College Football Playoff contender.
Crazy things tend to happen in the desert when the sun goes down and the lights turn on. Washington will be on upset alert as it heads south for another late-night showcase.