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On the eve of a new season, the Arizona State Sun Devils come in with a lot of weight on their shoulders, but also a pretty big chip. The Sun Devils kick off their season against the Texas A&M Aggies in the primetime lights of NRG Stadium, home of the Houston Texans. Possibly their biggest season opener to date, the Devils enter as the No. 15 team in the country, but also as an underdog. This one is personal. The last two seasons the Aggies have convinced the top Arizona high school recruits to leave their home state and move to College Station.
While the Sun Devils could survive an early loss to a favorited SEC team (remember Ohio State losing to a rather lousy Virginia Tech team last season opener?), a win would definitely showcase the team and display to the country that they are the real deal.
Rising to No. 6 in the polls last year, the Sun Devils suffered a brutal, embarrassing defeat to the Oregon State Beavers in Corvallis. To make matters worse, Arizona State lost the Pac-12 South crown by seven points to the enemy down south. Now with 16 returning starters and their best-ever recruiting class, the Sun Devils seem ready to make the big push and wash the bitter taste out of the mouths.
If you haven’t heard, ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit recently selected the Sun Devils as one his four picks to make this year’s College Football Playoff. That’s a big jump from what ASU fans are used to hearing. Typically sports networks can’t even correctly match up the logos or mascots of the two Arizona football programs. But it shouldn’t seem as far-fetched as it sounds. Coming off back-to-back 10-win seasons, the Sun Devils have their eyes set on not only the Pac-12 South, but the entire country as well.
Coach Todd Graham isn’t one to mince words about expectations. He even wears a bracelet with a simple inscription, “NC-16”, or National Champions 2016. Each year under Graham the team has demonstrated more discipline and become more prolific on both sides of the ball. In fact, the Sun Devils had safety Damarious Randall selected in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft, something the program hasn’t seen since 2003. The problem, each year the team hasn’t made that last push to truly showcase their abilities.
Led by senior leadership in fifth-year quarterback Mike Bercovici, local hero D.J. Foster (who needs less than 80 receptions to become the leading Sun Devils receiver) and star defensive back Jordan Simone, this team has the pieces to finally make that big step.
With the season opener against an SEC team and the increasing talent of surround Pac-12 programs, the road to the playoff will not be a smooth one. Despite the strength of the conference, the Sun Devils have a favorable schedule, if you can call it that. Arizona State follows up the Aggies game with two home games against inferior talent, and then things get real when the USC Trojans come to Tempe. Seven days later, Arizona State enters the Rose Bowl to face the UCLA Bruins, arguably their most difficult matchup, and one that has become a rather heated rivalry as of late.
Luckily, the Sun Devils get the Oregon Ducks at home and host the Territorial Cup with the Arizona Wildcats. Also, Arizona State avoids the Stanford Cardinal during the regular season, a team most are picking to win the conference. The Sun Devils travel to face a stout Utah Utes defense, one that dismantled Jim Harbaugh‘s debut, and face a rejuvenated California Golden Bear squad to close the season. Both games could be perilous road trips.
But this team is different. The exceptional talent is obvious, and they have leaders willing and determined to extract every ounce of focus and determination from their fellow teammates. Backed up by the strong ground game of Demario Richard and Kalen Ballage and a hungry ball-hawking defense, the Devils could “Break the Rock” and walk out on top.
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