Arizona State Football: 5 Things To Watch for vs. Colorado in Week 9

After having a bye in Week 8, the Arizona State Sun Devils actually moved into the BCS rankings. They are now ranked No. 21 in the country, and will be going into a home match heavily favored against a new Pac-12 team in the Colorado Buffaloes.

The Buffaloes have been pretty terrible this season, putting together a record of 1-7. That one win came against in-state rivals Colorado State. In the mean time, they haven't won in their last five games, and they haven't made much a case to win any time this season.

The Sun Devils will be able to walk in and out of Tempe on Saturday night with ease, but they are going to have to play like they have been over the last few weeks. If the Sun Devils fall to the level they opened the Oregon State game with, they could once again be in big trouble early. They did come out of that game victorious, but a team can only get out of those situations so many times.

Here are five things to watch for when the Sun Devils take on Colorado this Saturday.

Sun Devil Receivers

The Arizona State Sun Devils have a lot of weapons within their receiving corps. They have big options in Gerell Robinson and Mike Willie, while also having a dangerous threat in Jamal Miles. These three guys are going to be important when the Sun Devils take on Colorado.

Willie and Robinson brought in touchdowns against the Oregon Ducks in Week 7, so expect them to take advantage of a much worse Colorado defense. Miles will also be looking to redeem himself, mostly due the a easy touchdown that he dropped that landed into the Ducks hands and ended the Sun Devils' chances of upsetting Oregon.

There is no doubt that the Sun Devils have great receivers, as the passing game has been in full effect all season. These guys should continue to tear up secondaries for the rest of the season, but especially against Colorado.

Vontaze Burfict

There is one guy that has been an extremely inconsistent part of this incredible Sun Devils defense. That guy is middle linebacker Vontaze Burfict. 

The Sun Devils won't be desperate for Burfict to take over the game Saturday, but it will be good practice for him to get more aggressive while playing smart. The Sun Devils are going to need this from their stud linebacker, especially down the stretch when the Sun Devils will likely face Oregon or Stanford in the Pac-12 Championship Game.

Arizona State has already been incredible this season, but they could become one of the most dangerous teams if Burfict is able to pick his game up and tear apart defenses from here on out.

Omar Bolden

The Sun Devils' star cornerback Omar Bolden has missed the entire 2011 season so far with the torn ACL. The Sun Devils have been successful without him, but his return will only make this defense stronger.

With Bolden recently being cleared by doctors to partake in team activities, there is a very small chance that he may find himself briefly on the field Saturday. There would be quite an uproar of excitement in Sun Devil Stadium if Bolden hits the field.

Bolden likely won't play significant time, but he may take a shot at getting a feel for the game against a relatively weak Colorado team. This is one thing that is not for sure, but will likely be resolved as the week gets closer to game day.

Brock Osweiler

After having an incredible first quarter against Oregon, quarterback Brock Osweiler seemed to have disappeared in the final three quarters. Osweiler only had two touchdowns on the night, both coming in that first quarter. For the rest of the game, he continued to complete passes for big yardage, but failed to complete any more scores. He also added to interceptions to his night's stat line.

Osweiler has shown in the past that he can keep his composure late in games. Colorado won't be a tough opponent, but they will need to make sure that Osweiler stays focused throughout the game. Oregon was an extremely tough opponent, but it is important that the Sun Devils star passer keeps things going late in the game so that he will be ready for games against Arizona, Cal and Stanford or Oregon.

Cameron Marshall

After having a slow start over the first three games, running back Cameron Marshall has come on big for the Sun Devils over the last four games. Look for him to continue this against Colorado in Week 9.

The Sun Devils will need Marshall to keep doing his thing, while also continuing to build his confidence going into the end of the season. Marshall is one of the better running backs in the Pac-12 and even NCAA, but he is extremely underrated due to his slow start this season.

Expect to see Marshall to tear up Colorado this weekend. If Marshall was able to put up 140 yards and three touchdowns against USC, he should be able to put up similar numbers against the Buffaloes. It also depends on if the Sun Devils go with a balanced or pass-heavy attack. They haven't exactly been consistent this season, so no one can really say what direction they will take on Saturday.