Arizona State Football Left Wondering What Could Have Been

There was a time not so long ago when the currently No. 13 Arizona State Sun Devils had realistic dreams involving a Pac-12 championship and the CFB Playoff. It was November 8 when the Devils crushed Notre Dame and were ranked No. 6 with three winnable games to go in the regular season. ASU had the Pac-12 South in sight, and with it a showdown against the Oregon Ducks for the conference crown and a playoff spot.

Then Oregon State happened. Then No. 11 Arizona happened. An 8-1 start turned into a 9-3 finish faster than a summer monsoon in Tempe. This season was so full of potential very late, and now there’s a chance going to the Holiday Bowl could be a stretch. For most teams, finishing 9-3 and a shot at the third-best bowl in the conference is a good regular season.

Great teams can look at losses and explain the defeats away with the magic phrase, “It was the worst game of our season.” Oregon can do that with the Arizona game. Alabama can do that with the Ole Miss game, but Arizona State can’t explain it that way.

Which was the worst loss of ASU’s season? Was it the one against UCLA with the 95-yard interception at the end of the half that turned a three-point game into a 62-27 rout? Was it the Oregon State game, when the Sun Devils were pushed around by a team that lost at home by 14 points to Cal and 28 points to Oregon? Or was it the Duel in the Desert, when senior QB and standard-bearer Taylor Kelly was benched?

Most teams wouldn’t bench a senior in a rivalry game. Arizona State is clearly not most teams, and part of me has never thought that Todd Graham was the best choice as head coach.

The truth is the best teams find ways to win when it isn’t the best day to win — just ask Florida State. Arizona State was a good team this year, but not a great team. A 9-3 record and a Holiday Bowl finish is about what the Sun Devils deserve, and it ought to be what they get.

Alex Drude is a Pac-12 writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Alex_Drude. “Like” him on Facebook and add him to your network on Google+.