Arizona State Football: A New Era in the Desert

It's a story we've grown quite accustomed to over the last six years—the USC Trojans running away with the Pac-10 title virtually unopposed.

Sure, the Golden Bears of Berkeley and the Ducks of Oregon have been trendy picks in recent years, but neither team has lived up to those expectations—while the Men of Troy have absolutely dominated the Pac-10.

That tide, however, may finally be turning.  Coming off a 10-3 season behind new coach Dennis Erickson, the Arizona State Sun Devils seem poised to be the first team to seriously challenge USC for supremacy in the conference of champions.

The biggest knock on ASU's 8-0 start last year was that they didn't face any serious competition.  That will not be the case this year, as the Devils face probable preseason No. 1 Georgia in a showdown at Sun Devil Stadium in the third week of the season.

Georgia fans are so pumped that they have been purchasing ASU season tickets just to attend this single game.

The Sun Devils return the majority of their playmakers on offense, a huge advantage in making a serious run for the Pac-10 title.  Senior quarterback Rudy Carpenter, who has started more games under center than any other QB in the country, has developed more poise and learned to hone his emotion rather than let it influence his play.

And should there be an issue with Carpenter, backup Danny Sullivan is ready to go as a legitimate replacement for Rudy.  In fact, should Carpenter struggle, look to see a call from the desert for Sullivan to be the man in the middle.

All in all, teams CANNOT look past the Sun Devils this season.  Erickson is a proven winner and will pass along that mentality to his team.

I expect the Sun Devils to represent the Pac-10 in the Rose Bowl (and if things fall a certain way, perhaps the National Title game).  In my upset of the early season, ASU beats Georgia and carries that momentum through the rest of the year.