Arizona State Football: Ranking the Sun Devils' First 7 Games This Season

The 2011 college football season has been a good one so far for the Arizona State Sun Devils.

The Sun Devils have not had an easy schedule, but they still stand at 5-2 on the season with their only losses coming to Illinois and Oregon on the road. Even in those road matchups, the Sun Devils played hard for the majority of the game. showing that they can play at the pace of the best of them.

With many injuries on the season to key players, the Sun Devils have done a great job of keeping their composure.

Currently, the Sun Devils are No. 25 in the AP and coaches' polls, but they did get snubbed in the initial BCS rankings. The season still has much to go, and the Sun Devils should be able to make a push to jump into the rankings.

In the meantime, here is how the Sun Devils' first seven games ranked from worst to best.

7. Week 1 Win over UC Davis at Home

Sure, the Sun Devils won this season opening game 48-14, but it ranks worse then the losses because it is UC Davis.

There was no chance that the Sun Devils would lose this game, and if they did, they shouldn't have been allowed back in the Pac-12 next year. No worries though, as the Sun Devils slaughtered UC Davis in an easy and motivating win at home.

UC Davis, thanks for the extra practice before the season really got started. No offense.

6. Week 3 Loss at Illinois

The Week 3 loss at Illinois was by far the most disappointing loss the Sun Devils have had on the season.

The Sun Devils were coming off a 2-0 start and had defeated ranked Missouri the week before. The Sun Devils were expected to win this game, but in the end they just came up short in a 17-14 loss.

Illinois was just getting started, and it proved to be a team to reckon with this season. Still, it was one of four games where quarterback Brock Osweiler committed any turnovers, and running back Cameron Marshall was essentially absent from the game, as he was still recovering from nagging injuries.

The Sun Devils should have won this game, and they potentially could be sitting at 6-1 on the season and likely sitting in a nice BCS position.

5. Week 5 Win over Oregon State at Home

Why does this win rank so low?

Because it was Oregon State, and the Sun Devils managed to commit four turnovers. This was mostly Brock Osweiler's fault, as three of them were his interceptions and the other was his fumble. Still, it just wasn't good enough even with the 35-20 victory.

Oregon State was going to score because the Sun Devils were going to play down to their level, and that was expected because that is what this team has done in the past. The offense, though, should not have been giving up the ball to this 0-3 Beaver team that has just been the laughingstock of the Pac-12.

Luckily, the Sun Devils were able to keep their composure despite all the mishaps. They were able to keep their heads high and in the end were able to force the Beavers to turn the ball over five times.

If it wasn't for the defense, who knows how this game would have turned out?

4. Week 7 Loss at Oregon

At first, things looked great for the Sun Devils when they visited Pac-12 rivals Oregon in Week 7.

The Sun Devils started out the game with quarterback Brock Osweiler completing 10 of 13 passes for 123 yards with two touchdowns in just the first quarter alone. The rest of the game didn't go as the initial quarter did, as the Sun Devils just couldn't manage to put it together against the high-flying Ducks.

The defense was unable to stop Oregon, even with star running back LaMichael James sidelined with an elbow injury. With James out, the Ducks relied on backup running back Kenjon Barner and star quarterback Darron Thomas.

Barner ran for 170 yards with a touchdown, while Thomas completed 13 passes for 187 yards and two touchdowns. Thomas also added 73 yards on the ground with two rushing touchdowns. The Ducks quarterback was eventually knocked out of the game, but backup quarterback Bryan Bennett just kept the Ducks moving on the ground.

No one expected the Sun Devils could easily come into Autzen and win, but they definitely had a good shot to cause an upset. With James out the entire game and Thomas out the majority of the second half, the Sun Devils ultimately failed to capitalize.

3. Week 6 Win at Utah

This 35-14 victory over the Utes was a big one for the Sun Devils. It was their first game on the road since the Illinois loss, and they did a great job of shutting down the new kids in the Pac-12.

This game was also important because it essentially sealed the Sun Devils' spot in the inaugural Pac-12 championship game, where they will meet either the Oregon Ducks or Stanford Cardinal.

In Utah, quarterback Brock Osweiler led the Sun Devils offense with 325 passing yards and three touchdowns. This was the game following the Oregon State win, so it was important for Osweiler to silence his critics and show that he can run a top NCAA squad.

Osweiler also had no turnovers this game, which was extremely important coming off the four-turnover game at home the previous week.

It was also a big game for wide receiver Mike Willie, who caught seven passes for 98 yards and two touchdowns.

The Sun Devil defense also continued to stay fierce, forcing five turnovers on the Utes. That would put its at 14 over three games.

2. Week 2 Win over Missouri at Home

In their first ever blackout game, the Sun Devils made their mark early in a Week 2 win over the then-ranked No. 21 Missouri Tigers.

The Tigers were on the road, and Sun Devil Stadium for once was really becoming a fan-crazy environment.

The Sun Devils got out to an early lead, but the game was close until the very end. The Sun Devils won 37-30 in an epic overtime game that was a make-or-break point for the Sun Devils' start to making a run on the 2011 season.

Quarterback Brock Osweiler came out with guns blazing, throwing for 353 yards and three touchdowns. Not only was Osweiler lighting things up with his arm, but so was utility man Jamal Miles, who threw one pass for 35 yards that ended up as an Aaron Pflugrad touchdown.

The Sun Devils and their fans knew this was going to be a special season after this early-season victory over a new opponent.

1. Week 4 Win over USC at Home

Nothing feels better than defeating your rival—especially when that rival is USC and your team is coming off a disappointing road loss that ruined your chance at improving to 3-0.

The Sun Devils took care of things well following their loss at Illinois with a home defeat of USC in a 43-22 shootout.

The final score wasn't close, but up until the fourth quarter things were very close in Tempe. The Sun Devils were able to force Matt Barkley and the USC offense to turn the ball over four times while also holding the Trojans to just 1-of-9 on third-down attempts.

While the defense was effective, so was the offense. It wasn't just passing this game either, as running back Cameron Marshall broke out for 141 yards and three touchdowns. This was a much-needed game for the Sun Devils' star back, as he had been unable to really get things going on the season at that point.

The passing game continued its success as well, with quarterback Brock Osweiler throwing for 223 yards and two touchdowns.

The Sun Devils allowed more yards than they gained, but they ultimately capitalized on all their opportunities—especially when they held the Trojans to zero points in the fourth quarter.

More ASU Articles by Jeff Chase

ASU Week 7 Report Card for Loss at Oregon

ASU Snubbed by BCS

ASU Winners and Losers from Week 7