Arizona State Football: How Upset Loss Will Hurt Sun Devils' BCS Hopes
Coming into their matchup with Illinois on Saturday, the No. 22 Arizona State Sun Devils were looking like a legitimate top-25 team, fresh off a defeat of Missouri.
But Saturday was a different story for star linebacker Vontaze Burfict and the Sun Devils.
Quarterback Brock Osweiler, coming off a 353-yard, three-touchdown performance against the Tigers, was surprisingly held in check against the Fighting Illini, tossing two interceptions in the 17-14 loss.
Osweiler also averaged just 5.7 yards per pass and the Sun Devils averaged only 3.1 yards per rush.
Who's the Biggest Winner?
Teams like Michigan and USC, who were on the border of the Top 25 coming into this week, figure to benefit the most from the Sun Devils' loss. The Sun Devils will most likely drop out of the Top 25 after losing to an unranked opponent and it's going to be interesting which one of these teams emerges into the AP rankings. My money's on Michigan, which had 100 votes coming into this week to USC's 73.
Does Arizona State Still Have a BCS Chance?
It was a long shot for the Sun Devils to make a BCS bowl coming into this game and it seems almost impossible that they'd be able to make one now. They have just one more game against a ranked opponent the rest of the season and that is against Oregon. Unfortunately, Oregon isn't the No. 2 team in the nation like they were last season. It would have to take a massive collapse by the rest of the ranked teams for ASU to have a shot.
What It Means
The Sun Devils' latest loss simply means they are out of the BCS bowl picture. For a team led by such a threatening defense, it's a shame, because seeing Burfict against one of the top offenses in a playoff atmosphere would have been fun to watch.
As for Illinois, the squad still won't be near the Top 25 with this win, but it's a start.
Biggest Thing to Fix
Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers. Coaches preach it, players sometimes listen. The Sun Devils didn't listen this time around, committing three turnovers in a close game that they could have easily won.
On top of that, the Sun Devils had eight penalties for 91 yards. It's too bad because this team was better than this and a team I figured would remain in the Top 25 after the win against Missouri.
Pivotal Turnaround Game
Arizona State likely is out of the BCS-bowl running, but it could jump back into the Top 25 with a win against Oregon on Oct. 15. A win there would also be a nice confidence boost for a program that has to be hurting right now.
However, a win against Oregon is highly unlikely.
Who They Play Next
The Sun Devils get USC next on October 1. Ironically, the Sun Devils may have just made USC a Top-25 team by losing to Illinois. A win against USC would push the Sun Devils back into the running for the rankings, but their latest loss probably pushes them back pretty far. A win against USC would likely leave them on the fringe of the rankings, but not in them.
