That old cliché about moving on to bigger and better things?
It’s the best way to describe the season for the ASU football team.
First up was a huge primetime game against ranked Missouri team. ASU brought out the black jerseys in front of packed stadium and pulled out the win in overtime.
Then came USC, and with it a crucial Pac-12 South matchup and a chance to prove the Mizzou game was no fluke against another ranked team.
This time the Sun Devils won in style, breaking away from the Trojans in the second half and displaying a high-flying offense that can score from anywhere on the field.
Next is Oregon, and arguably the biggest game of the regular season. And it’s getting national recognition.
ESPN picked up the game a few weeks ago, and soon “College Gameday” followed suit. A radio station in New York called a State Press football reporter, asking for analysis. The last time ASU was this big, it was 2007 and the Sun Devils held the No. 4 spot in the BCS standings.
Oregon is definitely the favorite here, and the chances of Lee Corso pulling on a Sparky head are slim (despite the fact that Corso would be beloved by ASU fans until the end of time).
The Ducks are flat-out fun to watch, and ASU offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone’s goal of matching UO’s speed is a tall order. The Sun Devils have to ability to do it, though, and are one of the only teams in the country with that skill set.
The reason why this game is picking up so much coverage is not because people are jumping on the bandwagon. It’s because football fans everywhere are realizing that this could be one of the most exciting matchups of the year, even without LaMichael James.
The Sun Devils don’t really have to win. A close, hard-fought game will earn ASU a lot of credit in the polls.
But a victory against one of the best teams in the country would give the Sun Devils a chance to vault into the top-10 for the first time since ‘07.
Osweiler found his groove again in Utah after a shaky start against Oregon State two weeks ago. His receiving corps is better than ever, with guys like Jamal Miles, Gerell Robinson, Aaron Pflugrad and Mike Willie wreaking havoc all over the field. Cameron Marshall is closer to 100 percent and looks better every day.
Despite all the injuries that have plagued the defense, the Sun Devils have the second-best scoring defense in the Pac-12 behind the juggernaut that is Stanford.
So, it’s the No. 2 defense in the conference against the No. 5 offense in the country.
And the last time “College Gameday” covered an ASU game? In 2007, against the Oregon Ducks, in Eugene.
Let’s hope that this year, the outcome favors the maroon and gold.
Reach the columnist at egrasser@asu.edu
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