With college football season on the horizon, ESPN Chalk's college football experts -- Phil Steele, "Stanford Steve" Coughlin and Chris Fallica -- combine to give you betting previews of the top 25 teams, according to the ESPN College Football Rankings. They break down each team's strengths and weaknesses, along with season win total bets and national title odds.
Odds from Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook as of Sept. 1.
Arizona State Sun Devils
National title odds: 200-1
Season win total: 7.5
Phil Steele
Strengths: Coach Todd Graham calls this his best team yet, and I agree. When Taylor Kelly returned at quarterback after his early-season injury last year, he was not the same. The Sun Devils should have upgraded quarterback play with veteran Mike Bercovici, who now starts,
Weaknesses: ASU is in pretty good shape here, with perhaps its biggest weakness being special teams (No. 47 last season). The Sun Devils lose their top kick and punt returner, but even that unit has a solid kicker and punter and should fare better than expected.
Over/under: This number is very cheap. Read the weaknesses again and then factor in that this team was 10-3 last season (including their victory in the Hyundai Sun Bowl), with one loss coming the week after the Sun Devils lost their starting quarterback and the other two by seven and eight points. They go from eight to 15 returning starters and add in some quality junior college transfers. I have them favored in eight games and two additional toss-up games. A solid over.
National title: This team is a legitimate contender to win the Pac-12, and that makes Arizona State a national title contender. The 200-1 odds are way higher than my own number. This team has the best value of any of the top 25 teams.
'Stanford Steve' Coughlin
Every year when it comes time to offer my thoughts on the Sun Devils, things go completely opposite than what I think. It even happens during the season. Take last year for instance. They start off the season in impressive fashion, and I say to myself, "They are going to beat UCLA in a big spot" ... nope -- Bruins win 62-27. I then thought Notre Dame would beat them later in the season, and what happens? ASU looks like the best team in the country that day and handled the Irish easily 55-31. I think Scott Van Pelt put it best a couple years ago in saying Clemson and Arizona State are the exact same teams. Both are just so darned unpredictable.
All I have heard about this offseason is that Todd Graham thinks that Mike Bercovici is the perfect quarterback for offensive coordinator Mike Norvell's system. But seeing how this is Bercovici's senior year, why couldn't he find the field over Taylor Kelly when he was healthy? Maybe Graham is just playing mind games with us. One thing is for sure...when Arizona State has its "A-game," it is as impressive as any team in the Pac-12 and even the country.
O/U: The Sun Devils always surprise me, but I still like the under here.
Chris Fallica
ASU is a team I have a hard time figuring out. It always seems when I think they are in store for big things they disappoint, and when I think they could struggle, they surprise. I like Bercovici and D.J. Foster, but will they benefit off turnovers again? In the last two years, ASU is plus-29 in turnover margin and plus-184 in points off TO margin. Will the math balance out this season? Plus, the Sun Devils get Oregon from the North. So, it's tough for me to see another 10-win season. There may not be a bigger opening weekend game to set the tone for each team's season than Arizona State against Texas A&M.
O/U: ASU was pretty fortunate to go 9-3 in the regular season. It just as easily could have been 7-5 (flipping the USC and Utah results). And 7-5 is what I think ASU will be this year. I can see losses to Texas A&M, USC, UCLA and Oregon, along with one other (at Cal? at Utah? vs. Arizona?). Even.
Title odds: Never say never, but I don't see it.