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FACTS & STATS: Site: Sun Devil Stadium (73,379) -- Tempe, Arizona. Television: ABC. Home Record: Cal 3-1, ASU 3-1. Away Record: Cal 2-1, ASU 1-2. Neutral Record: Cal 0-0, ASU 0-0. Conference Record: Cal 2-2, ASU 2-2. Series Record: Series is tied, 14-14.

GAME NOTES: Pac-10 foes will collide in Tempe this weekend, as the Arizona State Sun Devils welcome the California Golden Bears to town.

It is hard to get an accurate read on Cal, as it has been streaky to say the least. After looking like a darkhorse national title contender with three straight wins to open the season, the club was crushed in back-to-back games by Oregon and USC. Fortunately, the Golden Bears have bounced back with two consecutive wins, including a 49-17 romp over hapless Washington State last weekend. A win on Saturday would lock up bowl eligibility for Jeff Tedford and his team.

As for Arizona State, it was easily handled by Stanford on the road last weekend, and the 33-14 defeat dropped the club to 4-3 overall. That loss halted a two-game win streak for the Sun devils, who are 3-1 at home this season.

The all-time series between California and Arizona State is tied at 14-14.

Opponents are scoring 22.3 ppg while gaining 384.1 total ypg against California, which has played fairly well defensively with the exception of the USC and Oregon games. The Golden Bears have been solid against the run, limiting foes to 3.3 yards per carry and 113.1 ypg. They are yielding 271.0 ypg against the pass, however, an aspect of the game that needs to be improved. With 23 sacks and 13 takeaways, Cal has made a fair amount of big plays. Tyson Alualu, who ranks third on the team in total tackles, has five sacks to his credit. Mike Mohamed is tops with 62 total stops, and he has two interceptions as well. Cal was victimized for 440 yards by Washington State, as a strong showing against the run was overshadowed by the fact that the Cougars were able to complete 29-of-43 passes for 385 yards. Still, only two touchdowns were surrendered, so the effort by the defense was certainly passable.

Arizona State is scoring 26.7 ppg this season to go along with 359.9 total ypg. The major question heading into this game is which of the team's three best offensive players will be on the field against Cal. Quarterback Danny Sullivan, who has completed 54.1 percent of his passes with seven touchdowns and five interceptions, has a knee injury, but he is listed as probable. Tailback Dimitri Nance (knee) and wideout Kyle Williams (hamstring) are both questionable, and they are vitally important to the offense. Nance has run for 471 yards and five touchdowns, while Williams has hauled in 34 receptions, second most on the club. Arizona State managed just 290 total yards against Stanford, and while Sullivan posted two touchdowns with no interceptions, he threw for just 143 yards. ASU was 3-of-11 on third down conversion attempts and held possession of the ball for less than 23 minutes.

Arizona State Coach Dennis Erickson has to be proud of the way his team has played defense thus far, as the club is only allowing 18.4 ppg and 280.0 total ypg. The Sun Devils have been stellar against the run, holding foes to 83.4 rushing ypg at a clip of 2.7 yards per carry. The fact that ASU has posted 13 interceptions against eight passing scores allowed suggests that the pass defense has been equally impressive. With 18 sacks, 19 takeaways and a 33 percent success rate by opponents on third down conversion attempts, ASU has plenty of stats to be proud of. Mike Nixon continues to lead the defense with 42 total tackles, and he has both three interceptions and two forced fumbles to his credit. A total of 473 yards were surrendered by the Sun Devils in the loss to Stanford last time out, with 237 coming on the ground and 236 through the air. It was obvious that ASU was helpless against both means of attack.

Arizona State has the advantage of playing at home this weekend, but the injuries to key players figure to slow the Sun Devils down just enough to allow Cal to steal a road win. Best is a blur, and he will likely break at least one long touchdown run in this tilt.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: California 24, Arizona State 17