Texas Tech goes to Tempe, Arizona to play Arizona State on Saturday, September 10th at 9 p.m. CST. That means they'll finish playing on Sunday, September 11th.

This will be the first match up between Texas Tech and a Pac 12 opponent in the regular season since 1999 when Texas Tech played Arizona State. The Sun Devils won that one 31-13 in Tempe.

The Red Raiders got revenge in 2013 by beating 16th ranked ASU in the Holiday Bowl 37-23.

So that means this is the rubber match.

Neither team is ranked or receiving votes, but each team is 1-0. In week one, Texas Tech manhandled SFA 69-17. ASU struggled with Northern Arizona until the 4th quarter when they pulled away by scoring 24 to win 44-13.

Kliff Kingsbury is undefeated in non-conference road games, including the powerhouses of SMU and UTEP. They also went to Fayetteville to beat the Razorbacks of Arkansas.

Todd Graham is undefeated in home non-conference games. The Sun Devils are 10-0 during this stretch with wins over Wisconsin, Notre Dame and Illinois.

The Red Raiders have a great entrance into the stadium.

The Sun Devils have a great entrance into their stadium...

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So much in common!

Both defenses ranked near the bottom last year. Texas Tech ranked 126th in total defense while Arizona State ranked 127th in pass defense. The good news is that Texas Tech has a really good pass offense, and Arizona State has an average offense. The scales are starting to tip.

Here's what they are saying in Tempe: "Texas Tech isn't a college football powerhouse – it's hardly a perennial Big 12 contender – but behind quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the Red Raiders are an offensive force, particularly through the air."

Is that a compliment?

They're also slamming the home team: "Last season, ASU had not only the worst pass defense in the country, but also the worst in school history. It's one thing when good quarterbacks (such as Washington State's Luke Falk and California's Jared Goff) shred your defense. It's another when average passers (such as West Virginia's Skyler Howard) are doing the same."

Offense

The Texas Tech offense will be able to do whatever they please through the air. Patrick will throw for more than 500 yards and several touchdowns.

The pressure that ASU is known for will only allow Mahomes to get outside the pocket and allow him to improvise. That's bad news for Arizona State.

This offensive line will struggle, but they will do enough to allow Mahomes to shine against this secondary of the Sun Devils that features a running back and the 2015 Pac 12 INT leader.

The running game will be limited for the second straight week. Only time will tell if the sporadic 28 rushing attempts of week one will be common in 2016 or an aberration. My initial thought is that it will be common place. Kingsbury will replace the production of DeAndre Washington with screens, bubbles and fly sweeps rather than a conventional running game.

The good news is you won't need a running game against ASU.

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Defense

The Arizona State offense was all ground game in week one. Five different players had rushing touchdowns. The quarterback, Manny Wilkins, was the leading rusher with 89 yards.

Wilkins had a decent night through the air, completing 20 out of 27 for 180 yards and no touchdowns. The Sun Devils had two completions that went for 20 yards, but beyond that it was minimal gains that didn't provide much spark.

The revamped D-Line will have its hands full with this running game. Make no mistake that ASU will move the ball against Texas Tech. It's just not going to be as explosive as the Texas Tech offense is.

Special Teams

The last time Reginald Davis played against the Sun Devils he took a kickoff back to the house. Maybe he'll do that again.

Prediction

I think that Texas Tech will score more than Arizona State in this game.

That's not a cop out. I don't think we'll see much defense, so it will come down to who can limit mistakes and score more. I trust the junior Heisman hopeful Patrick Mahomes more than his counterpart Manny Wilkins.

Texas Tech wins by 17. Final score: 56 - 39.

Of course, all of this will probably be thrown out the window because #pac12afterdark is crazy.

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