PHOENIX — If late-night football is your thing, the Cactus Bowl summons you toward the desert for a final bowl fix of the season. West Virginia flew cross-country, Arizona State drove crosstown and Chase Field operators opened the giant moonroof for this one.
The Mountaineers (7-5) opened as slight underdogs, then transitioned to three-point favorites in a game that projects as the consummate tossup. Not surprisingly, the partisan Sun Devil crowd makes this a Pac-12 home game. (Yes, there’s the obligatory “In Todd We Trust” sign, though we trust no one thought ASU would be a 6-6 team this season.