BCS Rankings 2011: Arizona State Sun Devils Go from Unranked to No. 21 with Bye

The Arizona State Sun Devils are finally in the BCS Rankings with their Week 2 results. When the standings were released on Sunday, the Sun Devils went from being on the outside to being ranked No. 21. That is a big jump, especially for a team that was facing a bye in Week 8.

The Sun Devils didn't get there on their own, though. Thanks to losses by Illinois, Auburn, Washington, Georgia Tech and West Virgina, the Sun Devils were able to make that jump to No. 21. The Sun Devils will only look to move up in the coming weeks, as their only remaining challenge on the schedule is their last game against Cal. Even that isn't much of a challenge.

Depending on how things go, the Sun Devils could be looking at being 10-2 going into the inaugural Pac-12 Championship game. That will set the Sun Devils up for a likely road game against either the Stanford Cardinals or Oregon Ducks. After a Week 7 beating by Oregon, it really isn't evident who would possess a better match up for Arizona State.

For one, they have experience of playing the Ducks this season, but then again, they are a very dangerous team. Not only that, by that time, LaMichael James and Darron Thomas should be perfectly healthy, something the Sun Devils didn't have to face in Week 7.

The Sun Devils' next opponent is Colorado at home. There is no reason to imagine the Sun Devils losing this game, but they are going to have to really take things out on the Buffaloes after the loss to Oregon. They cannot let that loss hurt them, keeping their composure high after having high hopes in Eugene.

The Sun Devils are going to have to hope that other teams ranked higher will fall. At this point, the chances of being in the BCS Championship game is pretty much completely out of the picture, but that doesn't eliminate the Sun Devils from the Rose Bowl or Fiesta Bowl.

If the Sun Devils win out on the season, things could be looking real nice for Dennis Erickson and crew after originally not even being included in the initial BCS rankings. There is no reason to dismiss the Sun Devils, as they have started out the season 5-2 with wins over ranked teams USC and Missouri. They also defeated Utah, Oregon State and UC Davis.

The Sun Devils are going to need to see continued high performance from their trio of stars Brock Osweiler, Cameron Marshall and Vontaze Burfict. With those players continuing to play at their best, it is hard to imagine the Sun Devils tripping up at all to finish out the season.

Most importantly, the Sun Devils defense is going to have to keep up their effectiveness. The Sun Devils have forced 22 turnovers on the season. The defense is dangerous, and it is what the Sun Devils are going to need most going into the Pac-12 Championship game.

The Sun Devils have just entered the BCS picture, and don't expect them to exit anytime before Week 14.