Jedd Fisch doesn’t need to say anything to Arizona newcomers to explain to them the importance of the Territorial Cup.

“I just show them the billboard,” Fisch said at his Monday news conference.

No smirk. No further comment. Just the billboard. That’s all that’s needed.

(You can see the video here, at the 5:36 mark.)

For the uninitiated, Arizona State fans raised funds to put up a billboard on Interstate 10 heading west that showed the score of the 2020 Territorial Cup. The Sun Devils beat the Wildcats 70-7 in Tucson that season, ending the Kevin Sumlin era at Arizona.

It was the largest win by the Sun Devils in the history of the series. And it marked an inflection point for Arizona’s program.

Fisch was brought in to rebuild things. An 0-5 season was followed with a 1-11 campaign in 2021 and people questioned whether Fisch was the right man for the job.

In the two seasons since, that answer has become a resounding yes. Arizona retooled in the transfer portal to plug gaps on offense before the 2022 season and went on to win five games, including a top-10 upset of UCLA on the road.

The Wildcats ended the year with a 38-35 win at home to recapture the cup and end a five-game losing streak in the series.

This season, the UA is 8-3. It has won five straight games to keep a pathway alive to Las Vegas to play for the Pac-12 Championship. The Wildcats will find out Friday night when Oregon and Oregon State meet if they can win their way into the title game.

If the Beavs beat the Ducks in Eugene, Arizona can punch its ticket by beating the Sun Devils.