Thirty-six is the difference in points scored between the No. 15 ranked Arizona Wildcats and the lowly 3-9 Arizona State Sun Devils in the 97th Territorial Cup. However, Arizona State and Arizona aren’t so different from one another, despite the scoreboard.
Three years ago, before Arizona found itself ranked and before it beat four ranked opponents in a single season, Arizona found itself in the same situation as the Sun Devils are in currently: Rebuilding a program in Year 0 under Jedd Fisch, which included suffering a humiliating 70-7 loss in the Territorial Cup.
It was a necessary evil Arizona took to grow, and one that Arizona State is now embracing.