Here they come
October 21st, 2007, 9:46 pm · Post a Comment · posted by Dan Zeiger
Since the spring, it seems, observers have pointed to Arizona State’s 2007 schedule and indicated that a four-game stretch — California, at Oregon, at UCLA and Southern California — would define the Sun Devils’ season. Well, that stretch is upon us.
ASU deserves much credit for doing everything it needed to, record-wise, to prepare. It is 7-0, one of just five unbeatens left in the bowl subdivision, and controls its own bowl-destination destiny.
“We’ve got seven wins, but at the same time, people aren’t giving us recognition for who we’ve played,” linebacker Robert James said after Sunday’s practice. “If we beat Cal, hopefully, we’ll get some more respect.”
James’ comment is slightly off-base.
After all, the Sun Devils are ranked seventh in both the Associated Press and USA Today (coaches) polls, their highest appearance since the 1996 Rose Bowl season. And ASU is fourth in the Bowl Championship Series standings, which are tabulated with the help of computer ratings based on schedule strength.
Slowly but surely, the Sun Devils’ wins against Colorado, Oregon State and Stanford — each team later beat a No. 2- or No. 3-ranked squad — are gaining worth.
But no victories would be as impressive as those ASU could post in its next four contests. The opponents are a combined 22-6, and each is scary in its own way.
California, which has the talent to contend for a national title, has lost two in a row — a wounded animal that the Sun Devils should beware. Oregon’s Autzen Stadium is one of the toughest places in college football to play, and Dennis Dixon will be the most dynamic quarterback ASU has faced to date.
Nobody knows which UCLA squad will show up, but the fired up, focused Bruins are awfully formidable. And with USC getting healthier, I might need to revisit the Sun Bowl projection I had for the Trojans in my College GameDay column in Saturday’s Tribune.
“This season has been fun, but as we all know, the last part of our schedule is huge,” coach Dennis Erickson said.
In August, I wrote in the Tribune and said during radio interviews that eight regular-season victories was a reasonable and realistic goal for Erickson’s first year in Tempe. The Sun Devils are in position to blow by that total and play in a big-time bowl.
How good is ASU? The next four games will tell.
