Action Network’s Brett McMurphy picked Arizona State to face off against UCF in the Independence Bowl this season.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!It. Is. Here! My @ActionNetworkHQ Week 0 bowl projections. All 41 bowls such as @CFBPlayoff (Georgia vs. Ohio St; Michigan vs. Florida St); Orange: Clemson vs. Penn St; Cotton: LSU vs. Texas Tech; Fiesta: Alabama vs. Washington; Peach: Oregon vs. Tulanehttps://t.co/VcE0YEufv2
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) August 21, 2023
A Big 12 team will be a primary tie-in for the Independence Bowl this season and in 2025 for the first time since 2009. The Pac-12 is a primary tie-in for 2023 and 2024 (if it’s still around next year). The game will be played at Independence Stadium located at Louisiana Tech on Dec. 16, 2023.
If McMurphy is correct, the Sun Devils will square off against a future conference foe in UCF. McMurphy favors the Knights by one point in this game.
ASU and UCF have only played each other one time before in 2002. The Knights travelled to Tempe and were defeated 46-13 by the Sun Devils.
Last season, ASU finished 3-9, but the Sun Devils now have over 50 new players on their team and a brand new coaching staff. Here’s what their 2023 schedule looks like, which features eight home games and has them facing four top-15 teams in the AP Top 25 Poll.
Valley: Activated 😈
2023 schedule ⤵️#ForksUp /// #O2V pic.twitter.com/6x2Csv1OnK
— Sun Devil Football (@ASUFootball) January 18, 2023
The Sun Devils are projected to win four or five games by most sportsbooks. They were picked to finish 10th in the Pac-12 football preseason media poll announced last month.
We will see how the Sun Devils look in a real-game setting when they kick off their season on Aug. 31 against Southern Utah.
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Brendan Mau is a college sports insider and general assignment reporter for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
