and Arizona State College (1945–1958). Arizona State did not come under the control and patronage of the state's Board of Regents until 1945 and the teams did not play each other every year until 1946. In the early part of the rivalry series, the games were played in Tucson due to the fact that ASU's home stadium held very few fans. In 1931, ASU hosted the game for the first time. Arizona dominated the early portion of the series, winning 20 of the first 22 meetings, by having more physical and better-trained players than ASU. The Sun Devils had a reign of dominance from 1949 to 1981, winning 24 of 29, including a 13–2 stretch from 1965 to 1979, under the leadership of ASU's legendary coach Frank Kush. The Wildcats got the best of ASU from 1982 to 1998, going 13–3–1, under the guidance of coaches Larry Smith and Dick Tomey and a dominant defensive unit that was one of the nation's best in the early 1990s. Since 1999, Arizona State currently has had the edge, winning 16 of the last 24. In 2018, Arizona State mounted the biggest comeback in Territorial Cup history, as they overcame a 19-point fourth-quarter deficit to win, 41-40. In 2020, ASU embarrassed UA, 70-7, in a season affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Arizona won the recent meeting in 2022 by a score of 38-35 to capture the Territorial Cup for the first time since 2016 and ended a five-game losing streak against Arizona State. Game results See also Arizona–Arizona State men's basketball rivalry Arizona-Arizona State baseball rivalry List of NCAA college football rivalry games References College football rivalries in the United States Arizona State Sun Devils football Arizona Wildcats football 1899 establishments in Arizona Territory Recurring sporting events established in 1899