Arizona State Football: Sun Devils Fall to Illinois, What Does It Mean?

After last week's 37-30 overtime victory against the No. 21 ranked Missouri Tigers, the Arizona State Sun Devils were all over the headlines as one of the sleeper teams in the Pac-12 this season.

After falling 17-14 to the Illinois Fighting Illini, fans are now left questioning how good this team really is. 

What Happened?

The Sun Devils were in a battle down to the wire. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Arizona State took the lead on a 14-yard touchdown run by quarterback Brock Osweiler.

The 14-10 lead didn't last long.

The Sun Devils were in control with the ball again when Illinois defensive end Whitney Mercilus forced a fumble on a hit from behind on Osweiler.

The Fighting Illini recovered the ball and in just four plays managed to recapture the lead for the final time on a Nathan Scheelhaase touchdown throw.

The two teams went back and forth down to the end, but ultimately the Sun Devils failed to get into scoring range.

Arizona State out gained Illinois in total yards 362-240.

Who's the Goat?

The blame for the loss will likely fall onto the shoulders of Osweiler, although I'm not sure it's rightfully placed.

Osweiler did struggle all night, completing only 25 of his 45 passes for 256 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

However, Osweiler was also under a ridiculous amount of pressure all night. Osweiler was sacked six times, one of which led to the fumble that Illinois capitalized on.

The blame needs to be placed both on Osweiler and the offensive line.

How Far Will They Fall?

This loss will likely knock Arizona State out of the Top 25.

They barely got in this week after a close overtime win against Missouri.

Michigan, USC, UNC, Illinois and many more are sitting right outside the Top 25 waiting to come aboard.

There won't be room for Arizona State to stay in the rankings following this loss.

Who Benefits the Most?

All of the teams in the Pac-12 benefited from the Arizona State loss, but none more than Stanford.

Stanford now controls its own destiny the rest of this college football season.

Arizona State was the only remaining undefeated Pac-12 team not on Stanford's schedule this season.

Stanford will win the Pac-12 if they win the remainder of their games. They now control their own destiny.

Conference or National Implications

As was just stated, the biggest conference implication is that Stanford now has complete control over their future for the remainder of the season.

Nationally, this game didn't have a huge impact, but it will remove Arizona State from the Top 25 rankings.

Next Game

Next week, the Sun Devils take on the USC Trojans in what should be a battle.

The game against the Trojans will likely dictate the remainder of the season for the Sun Devils.

If they win, there is a chance they could land back into the Top 25. If they fall for the second week in a row, the chances to recover become very slim.

Can Arizona State Rebound in the Polls?

Luckily for Arizona State it's only Week 3. A rebound win next week against USC would likely put the Sun Devils right back into the rankings.

They still have plenty of time to make a run towards the end of the season, but next week's game is of dire importance.