Analysis: This could be the last meeting between ASU and USC football. Does anyone care?

The USC Trojans will march into Mountain America Stadium on Saturday to face the Arizona State Sun Devils for the last time as members of the Pac-12. The Trojans are headed to the Big Ten along with their city brethren UCLA while ASU is transitioning to the Big 12 along with three other current Pac-12 competitors.

Does anybody really care that this will be the last time the two will play? It doesn't seem like it.

Sure there have been some memorable games between the two. First and foremost for Sun Devils fans is the Jael Mary game in which then-quarterback Mike Bercovici threw a 46-yard bomb to Jaelen Strong as time expired to give the Sun Devils a 38-34 win at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

When the Sun Devils prevailed 38-35 in 2018, also at the Coliseum, it marked the end of a 19-game home win streak and the first loss there for then-coach Clay Helton.

But for the most part, ASU has been a stepping stone for USC on the way to more important games. Rivals? Not really. You're rivals when every time you play there are potential playoff implications on the line, games seem to always come down to the final possession or if you're you're playing for state supremacy. ASU doesn't fit that bill when it comes to USC.

No doubt USC gets more pumped for games against city rival UCLA, or the premier brands in the once-proud but soon-to-be extinct Pac-12. Think Oregon, Utah and Washington. But ASU? The Sun Devils have to be an afterthought for the Trojans.

Maybe for ASU supporters the games mean more because since they haven't been in the hunt for anything in recent memory, at least it's a chance to make a statement or get on to the national radar for a nano-second. This year's game is generating even less excitement than usual with USC (3-0) ranked No. 5 in the country and ASU (1-2) struggling to put healthy bodies on the field and quite possibly, down to its fourth quarterback.

ASU hasn't scored in the last six quarters and is coming off a 29-0 loss to Fresno State in a game that marked the first time being shut out at home since 1988. The opponent then — USC.

The current line has USC has 35-point favorite and most ASU faithful don't expect it to be that close. They're only hoping there are no more injuries added to the list so they can be in a more favorable position for the game the following week at Cal, which looks like the most winnable game on the schedule.

ASU coach Kenny Dillingham was just focusing on business as usual this week. Asked about whether or not playing USC for the last time was a big deal he offered:

"No. I'm not like a sentimental person like that at all. We just have to get better every day. Every single day we're just going to show up here and try to get better. We're going to compete. We're going to get better again. We're going to compete. We're going to get better. And eventually, the people will like what they see."

Players had similar things to say. Maybe the fact there are fewer Southern California players on the roster than in years past played into that. Still, even those from Southern California weren't reading more into the contest because it's USC.

"I really didn't grow up following the football teams there. I was more of a college basketball fan. Duke," said wide receiver Giovanni Sanders, who hails from Murrieta, 80 or so miles east of Los Angeles.

Players simply want to win. They're not focusing on who the opponent lining up in front of them.

"We can't go to a bowl. Let's just try and go and ruin everybody else's season," tight end Bryce Pierre said.

Most ASU faithful are probably glad to see USC become another conference's problem. USC is one of the nation's marquee college football brands with 523 NFL draft picks, 85 of those in the first round, seven Heisman Trophy winners and 11 national championships.

So the Sun Devils are not in the same stratosphere with USC when it comes to the most important factor in the college football landscape today — NIL opportunities.

When the Trojans make their pit stop in Tempe this weekend two important players, who originally signed with ASU, will be wearing the visitors' jersey. Eric Gentry, a lanky 6-foot-6 linebacker with a 71-inch wing span, was a freshman All-American selection for ASU in 2021 before defecting, reportedly for a high six-figure NIL deal.

Punter Eddie Czaplicki left the past offseason after two first-team All-Conference selection seasons in Tempe.

Moore opinion: Call me crazy, but I'm going to miss the Arizona State vs. USC football rivalry

Since Lincoln Riley arrived at USC in 2022 after five years as head coach at Oklahoma, USC has poached top players from other Pac-12 schools as well, among those is wide receiver Dorian Singer, an impact player for the Arizona Wildcats in 2022. Among the marquee coups was landing wide receiver Jordan Addison, the reigning Biletnikoff Award winner, from Pitt a year ago. It also got running back Travis Dye from Oregon.

No conference rival was immune. Nobody likes to get beat by the players they recruited and signed first. But that's the college football landscape nowadays.

And of course, quarterback Caleb Williams followed Riley to USC from Oklahoma and all he has done since is win the Heisman Trophy and set himself up to be the No. 1 overall NFL draft pick in the spring.

So it will be one last meeting between the teams for nostalgia's sake. Nobody seems to be shedding any tears.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Are Arizona State, USC football playing for the last time?