College Football Rankings: Arizona State Sun Devils Are Approaching the Top 25

Arizona State did more then fulfill preseason expectations Friday night in Tempe.

Following a routing in Week 1 against FBS UC Davis, the Sun Devils were ready for their first big test of the season—the No. 20 ranked Missouri Tigers in the first ever "Black-Out" game at Sun Devil Stadium.

The Tigers were coming into a matchup with a heavily veteran team in the Sun Devils, and the upper class men showed up. Being led by junior quarterback Brock Osweiler and middle linebacker Von Burfict, the Sun Devils put on a show Friday night.

The Sun Devils showed that they could play with the best Friday night, especially in their first nationally-televised game of the season. Nothing showed up more though than the Sun Devil offense.

Quarterback Brock Osweiler led the offense, accumulating  353 yards and three touchdowns, as well as a rushing touchdown. One of those touchdowns was to Jamal Miles, who also had one passing touchdown in one of the more exciting plays of the game. While the passing game was lights out for the Sun Devils, the rushing game was not a high point. The Tigers were stopping the Devils on the ground, with running back Cameron Marshall being held to 61 yards on 22 carries.

The passing game was in full effect though. Wide receiver Aaron Pflugrad lit up the Tigers' secondary, gaining 180 yards in receiving. He also brought in two touchdowns. 

The game was close though, with the Tigers tying the game in the fourth quarter with a 30-30 score, assisting from a missed extra point by ASU kicker Alex Garoutte in the second quarter.

In a game where the Sun Devils had led all game, it was settled in overtime with a passing touchdown by quarterback Brock Osweiler to Jamal Miles. The Sun Devils defense ultimately held up the Tigers' offense, making the Sun Devils first offensive attempt the only one needed to capture a win.

After taking down the Tigers, the Sun Devils should be poised to enter the top 25. Before the official preseason rankings came out, the Sun Devils were sitting at No. 25. They now have a chance to possibly make the jump from not ranked to somewhere in the 20s. 

Next week, the Devils will be taking on Illinois on the road. With the Illinois 56-3 victory over South Dakota State on Saturday, the Fighting Illini will be coming in with some momentum. The Sun Devils' big overtime victory over Missouri should trump the Illini's momentum going into the game. 

If the Sun Devils are able to keep it going and get past the Illini, their true test lies in the USC Trojans the following week. We will have to see how coach Dennis Erickson and the Sun Devils handle their continuing success this season.

Update: The Sun Devils were ranked at 22nd in this weeks AP Rankings.