2010 College Football Predictions: Ranking Arizona State's Schedule
The Arizona State Sun Devils recently suffered their first back-to-back losing seasons since the 1950s, and the first of head coach Dennis Erickson's lengthy career.
ASU is looking to rebound with its newly formed offensive scheme under newly hired offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone, with the promise of improving drastically over their less than par performance in 2009.
It's about that time to talk schedules, as the college football season is within sight. Here is a list power-ranking the Arizona State Sun Devils' 2010 schedule, leading down to the toughest game of the year.
No. 12: vs. Portland State (Sept. 4)
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One of Arizona State's many traditions, like many others, is starting its season off with a cupcake game.
The Portland State Vikings will head to Tempe, AZ for their season opener, which the Sun Devils will treat as more of a continuation of their fall camp.
Prediction: Arizona State
No. 11: vs. Northern Arizona (Sept. 11)
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To help out the neighbors to the north, Arizona State and Arizona switch off playing the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks every other year.
Although this is yet another cupcake game for the Sun Devils, coach Dennis Erickson cannot get too cocky in the game, as the Lumberjacks have come back in past games to make it interesting.
Prediction: Arizona State
No. 10: vs. Washington State (Oct. 30)
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The Washington State series comes back to Tempe, AZ the day before Halloween. Cougars head coach Paul Wulff is struggling, going winless in the Pac-10 in 2009.
The Cougars ranked last in the Pac-10 and in the bottom 20 for the nation in every imaginable category for offense and defense. It is hard to use the word strengths when referring to Washington State, as they have been bad on defense, awful on offense, and less than mediocre on special teams.
Sorry, Washington State fans, but the six-year bowl-less streak looks to continue to seven.
Prediction: Arizona State
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No. 9: vs. UCLA (Nov. 26)
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The UCLA Bruins have been nothing more than mediocre in recent years. Although they pulled out a 6-6 record in 2009 and a win over Temple in the EagleBank Bowl, they finished 3-6 in conference play, enough to place them in eighth place at season's end.
The Bruins took a 23-13 win over Arizona State last year at the Rose Bowl in a game where both teams played horribly.
2010 is supposed to be UCLA's offensive breakout year, not to mention the year they try to regain the bandwagon fans of Los Angeles. Quarterback Kevin Prince is set to dominate, but their lack of an experienced offensive line could cause struggles for the Bruins' offense.
The Bruins' struggles on the O-line will be like a Thanksgiving Day feast for the dominating Sun Devil defense, which looks to be as strong, if not stronger, than last year.
Prediction: Toss-up
No. 8: at Washington (Oct. 9)
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Jake Locker and Company, a.k.a. the Washington Huskies, will be looking for revenge in Seattle after the Sun Devils pulled off a last-second Hail Mary for a win in Tempe last season.
The Huskies return 10 offensive starters on a team filled with firepower and great coaching, and they have proven to show improvement (going winless in 2008 to 5-7 in 2009).
It is hard not to buy into the hype surrounding the Huskies heading into the 2010 season, as improving by five games from one season to the next shows the determination to win, although it was still a losing season—just think of the possibilities.
Washington has the edge with home field advantage and will likely put up better offensive stats than the question mark of an offense ASU has. If the Devils' defense can shut down Locker and the starting quarterback (Brock Osweiler or Steven Threet) can stay accurate, they might keep the game close, if not win it.
Prediction: Arizona State
No. 7: vs. Stanford (Nov. 13)
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Stanford defeated Arizona State 33-14 in one of the most embarrassing Sun Devil performances of 2009. ASU looks to rebound from the loss in Palo Alto with a win in Tempe.
Stanford loses Heisman Trophy finalist Toby Gerhart but brings back a total of eight starting offensive players, including quarterback Andrew Luck, who is gaining attention as a possible Heisman candidate.
Seven starters will remain on the defense, which looks to move past the departures of linebacker Will Powers, cornerback Richard Sherman, and safety Bo McNally.
The combination of Gerhart leaving along with offensive line issues will put all the defensive eyes on Luck, possibly making his season a lot more difficult. The inexperienced Stanford O-line could be the key for ASU, as they look to ride through games with their highly touted defense.
Prediction: Arizona State
No. 6: at California (Oct. 23)
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The California Golden Bears are possibly one of the most frustrating teams in college football.
They always start their season off with a bang and being ranked in the top 25, but midway through the season they seem to lose their steam and lose games they should not. This matchup with Arizona State on Oct. 23 at California could be one of those games.
However, the Sun Devils have not beaten the Golden Bears since their upset in Tempe in 2007, and they will have difficulty shutting down Kevin Riley, who led the Pac-10 in passing last season.
Cal's pass defense is supposed to be stronger and more powerful in 2010 despite losing many starters, which could cause disaster for the already struggling ASU passing game.
Prediction: California
No. 5: at Arizona (Dec. 2)
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The Duel in the Desert heads south to Tucson in 2010, where the Sun Devils look to take back the oldest trophy in college football, the Territorial Cup.
The Arizona Wildcats won the last two seasons, including a field goal win caused by a muffed punt in 2009 by now 49ers receiver Kyle Williams.
Although Arizona head coach Mike Stoops has completely rebuilt the program from the ground up and has the Wildcats' eyes on the Pac-10 crown, this Thursday night ESPN matchup could be the deciding Rose Bowl factor for the 'Cats.
There is nothing Sun Devil fans would love more than to beat the Wildcats at home and keep their Rose Bowl-less streak continuing.
Prediction: Arizona State
No. 4: at USC (Nov. 6)
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NCAA sanctions aside, the Trojans look to redeem themselves in 2010. Starting quarterback Matt Barkley started the 2009 season strong, gaining a win over Ohio State in the 'Shoe, though his season slowly declined from there.
Without tailback Joe McKnight and receiver Damian Williams, Barkley must improve drastically if the Trojans are to be successful.
The struggling Trojan defense will return six starters but will likely miss departed safety Taylor Mays and defensive end Everson Griffen.
Lane Kiffin and the Trojans are looking for blood during the regular season because, well, that's all they have. Arizona State has kept the game close in recent years, including a great comeback in 2009 with then-freshman quarterback Brock Osweiler, who very well could take the reins this season.
The fact is, despite the negative reflections surrounding the Trojans coaching staff, they still have tremendous talent. With the Trojans' home field advantage added into the mix, it is hard to see the Sun Devils pulling out a win in Los Angeles.
Prediction: USC
No. 3: at Oregon State (Oct. 2)
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Last season, the Oregon State Beavers won their first game in Tempe since the 1960s. The jury is still out on if the loss was due to a weak Sun Devil team or the Beavers' steadily improving regime.
Most likely both.
A lot of hype surrounds the Beavers heading into 2010, and with the help of the Rodgers brothers, it is definitely possible. Oregon State was one win away from heading to the Granddaddy of Them All last season, as it came down to the Civil War game against their heated rivals, the Oregon Ducks.
The Beavers have a hellish schedule ahead of them before they play Arizona State, which could cause momentum or anger for the rising team. But either way you look at it, Oregon State is the clear favorite to take the win in Corvallis.
Prediction: Oregon State
No. 2: vs. Oregon (Sept. 25)
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The Sun Devils have been looking for revenge against the Oregon Ducks since their standout season in 2007, where the Ducks (No. 2) beat the Sun Devils (No. 4) in a game that eventually ruined their hopes of heading to the national championship.
Oregon's star quarterback Jeremiah Masoli is gone for good after being released from the team. Even though this was a big hit to the program, the Ducks have promising talent in QBs Nate Costa and Darron Thomas. Bottom line is, the Ducks can win without Masoli.
Tight end Ed Dickson is the only offensive starter, besides Masoli, that needs replacing. The defense lost four starters, including tackle Blake Ferras and end Will Tukuafu.
Will this be the year that the Sun Devils finally take down the Oregon Ducks? As much as we would like to see it, it is probably a little far-fetched to happen.
Prediction: Oregon
No. 1: at Wisconsin (Sept. 18)
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For the Sun Devils' third and final non-conference game, they head to Wisconsin to take on the talented Badgers.
The Badgers return all but one starter on offense, with the departure of tight end Garrett Graham. Quarterback Scott Tolzien proved himself towards the end of 2009, but the offense will revolve around the 2009 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, tailback John Clay.
This will be the first and biggest test for the Sun Devils in 2010. The Badgers are stacked with talent and could possibly come out of the shadows and top Ohio State for the Big Ten crown.
Upsets are what make college football exciting, as every season has them. If the Sun Devils can miraculously rally together their new offense and stop the Badger rushing attack to pull off a win, they could very well set a winning tone for the rest of the season.
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