Expert Previews Arizona State-Mississippi State

ESPN college football analyst Bill Connelly rightfully listed the matchup as one to watch in the evening slate on college football Saturday.

More from Connelly:

"MSU was sloppy early against Southern Miss last week, and Arizona State woke up only marginally against Northern Arizona. Both won, obviously, but now we get to find out how each will really  start the season. Is ASU's Sam Leavitt really going to throw only to Jordyn Tyson again (12 catches, 141 yards last week)? Can MSU run well enough to keep pressure off of Blake Shapen?"

Current line: ASU -6.5 | SP+ projection: ASU by 9.7 | FPI projection: ASU by 1.0

The tale of the tape for both teams was that they played subpar football for portions of their respective season openers. Mississippi State was tied with Southern Miss well into the second quarter before pulling away in quarter three, while the Sun Devils withheld a second quarter in which the offense stalled out and the offensive line committed many unnecessary penalties.

This is a true litmus test for both squads - the Sun Devils return much of the starting talent from last season, while the Bulldogs bring in many new players via the transfer portal.

The Mississippi State run game versus the stout ASU defensive line is another key linear matchup to watch. The Bulldogs roster three capable backs that can aid in QB Blake Shapen settling into the game, while the Sun Devil front seven contributed to the best run defense in the Big 12 a season ago.

Arizona State-Mississippi State is set to kickoff at 4:30 MST and is being broadcast on ESPN2.

Read more on what the strong week one showing from the Big 12 means for the Sun Devils here, and on what Arizona State players could fit on the Pittsburgh Steelers here.