Former Athletic Director Steve Patterson at Sun Devil Stadium. (Photo by Dominic Valente)
No. 9 ASU's drubbing of No. 10 Notre Dame Saturday night vaulted the team into the national title picture and gave legitimate weight to the Sun Devil's case for a playoff berth.
Although the team had recorded quality wins against Stanford and Pac-12 South rival Utah, it wasn't until Notre Dame that ASU felled an elite opponent on a national stage.
You have to give credit to Coach Todd Graham for his efforts, redshirt senior quarterback Taylor Kelly for his clutch play and the defense's intensity, all of which played big roles in the victory.
But ASU and its fans have someone else to thank – someone who wasn't in the stadium on Saturday night, who wasn't in the state Saturday night, who might not have even been watching the game.
ASU and its fans should thank the man in Texas who had a considerable amount of influence on this game ever happening: Texas Athletic Director Steve Patterson.
There was a time not too long ago when Notre Dame actually tried to back out of its commitment to ASU.
After the 24-point ASU win, senior defensive end Marcus Hardison joked that if he were playing for the Fighting Irish, he wouldn't want to come play in Tempe either.
Had Notre Dame found a way to pull out of its scheduled games against ASU, it would have had a major impact on ASU's title hopes.
While the Sun Devils had a respectable résumé already, they will look back on this game as their banner victory of the season, the one they list first in their case for the playoff and for other top-tier bowl games.
Had this game never happened, there would be no such win. If the team's premier win was against, say, Utah, or a Stanford team that looks lost this season, it wouldn't have as strong as case.
And so we arrive at the man who had great impact on this game and, by proxy, ASU's entire season.
That would be Patterson.
You might remember that name. It was Patterson, of course, who brought Graham to ASU three years ago back when Patterson was ASU's AD.
And it was Patterson who forced Notre Dame to honor its contract and play its scheduled games against the Sun Devils.
It was that effort that gave ASU the opportunity it had this weekend to launch itself from the fringes of the national picture into the very center.
And so while Patterson didn't play a single snap, call a single play or coordinate a single piece of the game plan, his impact on ASU's victory over Notre Dame is undeniable.
Reach the sports editor at icbeck@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @ICBeck21
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