ASU is bowl eligible for the first time since 2007.
The Sun Devils haven’t missed out on the postseason for this long since a stretch of seven bowless seasons from 1988 to ’95. It provides a sigh of relief for many current seniors, who have yet to see ASU compete past the regular season, and have never seen the Sun Devils finish with a winning record.
In 2006, the University fired then-head coach Dirk Koetter. Though the Sun Devils reached four bowl games under him, they held a Pac-10 record of 21-28.
It led to the hiring of Dennis Erickson, who took the helm in 2007 with the hopes of starting a new era of football at ASU, and they did — or so it seemed. Erickson was named Pac-10 coach of the year. The team finished with a decent record of 10-3 and was ranked in the top 10 for a month straight.
Led by quarterback Rudy Carpenter, wide receiver Mike Jones and running back Keegan Herring, the 2007 squad tied with USC for the Pac-10 crown, only the third time in history that ASU earned that title.
Magical seems to be the only word to describe that season. The intensity of pride and power the team brought to the University has not been recreated until this season.
Even though ASU lost to Texas in the Holiday Bowl in 2007, the season did not fail to disappoint. Sports pundits set high expectations for Erickson and company in 2008; there was even talk of a national championship appearance in the first weeks of the season.
We all know how that played out. Erickson and the Sun Devils went 15-21 over the next three seasons.
This year is different. The team has lived up to the hype. Wins against Missouri and USC showed the country that the Sun Devils mean business this season.
Polls have ranked the Sun Devils seven of the 10 weeks so far this year. The Pac-12 South is essentially ASU’s to lose. The Sun Devils should clinch the division and head to the Pac-12 championship game where the team will most likely play Andrew Luck and the rest of the Cardinal team or get another chance to go Duck hunting. Stanford and Oregon are formidable opponents, for sure, but it’s hard not to be impressed when ASU is firing on all cylinders.
The final bowl game placement for ASU will depend on whether the Sun Devils win or lose the Pac-12 championship game. A win would most likely mean another appearance at the Rose Bowl, only the third time in the school’s history. A loss would mean a less-high profile bowl game, such as the Alamo Bowl or Holiday Bowl.
But big-time bowl or low-profile bowl, post-season is post-season for now. This year’s senior class will finally see the Sun Devils reach a bowl game. Only time will tell where ASU end up, but the current prospects are high, and the magic appears to have returned.
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