Thanks to ASU football’s blowout loss in the Territorial Cup, it’s highly unlikely the Sun Devils play in their sixth consecutive bowl game. With a 5-7 record, the disappointment and anger from Sun Devil fans is likely deserved, but not unexpected.
The season started with tempered expectations, with the Sun Devils picked to finish toward the bottom of the conference after a disappointing 6-7 season in 2015.
Uncertainty plagued the offseason, especially surrounding the quarterback position with the departure of Mike Bercovici.
Redshirt sophomore Manny Wilkins won the job and electrified fans, hurdling his way into local fame right away.
Underwhelming wins over NAU and UTSA were outshone by Kalen Ballage’s performance of a lifetime against Texas Tech and a fourth quarter comeback win over Cal.
A setback against USC begot a home win over UCLA, despite injuries to Wilkins and redshirt freshman Brady White, who was lost for the season in the fourth quarter against the Bruins.
Despite the ailments, the Sun Devils were riding high at 5-1 and just a win away from heading to a bowl game with the inside edge at a trip to Santa Clara. Outspoken junior running back Demario Richard wanted to let everyone — especially the doubters — know how good he felt about his team.
“I knew what we was gonna do,” Richard said. “I kept telling y’all. Everybody else doubted us. If you look at the situation, the two teams that are in first and second in the South were voted sixth and fifth in the Pac-12 South.”
That’s when things began going south for the Sun Devils.
The program’s first-ever loss to Colorado resulted in a banged up Wilkins, who left the next week’s game against Washington State after two drives.
Defensive backfield issues came to a head when ASU allowed freshman Justin Herbert to shred it for an Oregon-record 489 yards.
Worst of all, the nail in the coffin came at the hands of rival Arizona, in the midst of the Wildcats' worst season since 2005. Arizona exposed the Sun Devil defense in a way it had not been before — on the ground.
Arizona's 511 rushing yards were a school record, as the Wildcats stomped out ASU and took back the Territorial Cup in dominant fashion.
In their season-ending, six-game skid, the Sun Devils were outscored by an average of 47-27. Those 47 points were over three points more than Texas Tech, which allowed the most points per game of any FBS team.
Arizona State (requested by @MasterTes) pic.twitter.com/S0JynRnoUh
— BUFFALO TURKEY WRAP (@edsbs) November 27, 2016
Now, what’s next for the Sun Devils?
Well, ASU must replace 10 starters from all three sides of the ball, including linebacker Salamo Fiso and wide receiver Tim White.
Without those bowl practices, Todd Graham and company will have just a little less time to figure out who takes those spots so to not replicate this season.
But that won't be easy. Kicker Zane Gonzalez was ASU's best and most important player — by a wide margin — and he's gone, likely to the NFL. The remaining players on the roster have not proven they can win in the Pac-12, and there will likely be jobs on the line if they don't do so next year.
There should not be any player whose job is safe entering next season, which is a scary proposition in a conference like this, but that's what the last two seasons of Sun Devil football have done. That's why 2017 is about to be a make-or-break year in Tempe.
Reach the reporter at mtonis@asu.edu or follow @Tonis_The_Tiger on Twitter.
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