The Arizona State Sun Devils won the Pac-12 South Division last season, marking the first time they’ve been in the Pac-12 Championship Game. The season was a great success for the Sun Devils, but they realized that they weren’t especially close to beating Stanford, the best team in the conference. The Sun Devils have become one of the four best teams in the Pac-12. The next step is to become the very best team in the conference, jumping over the top three.
Strengths
The Sun Devils, under head coach Todd Graham’s so-called “high-octane” offense, love to play at a fast pace and hit opposing defenses with a combination of aggressive downfield passes and hard-hitting runs. Arizona State wants to overwhelm defenses with its energy and boldness, trying to attack instead of opting for ball control or a war of attrition in which an offense tries to lean on an opposing defense and aim to be fresher in the fourth quarter. That’s a small part of Arizona State’s approach, but the Sun Devils want to score relentlessly. They do want to be fresher in the fourth quarter, but they don’t focus on the fourth quarter. They would rather be leading by 30 entering the fourth quarter, whereas other teams just try to give themselves a chance to win in the fourth quarter.
Arizona State has the personnel to be good on offense once again this season. The biggest reason this offense can do great things is that Taylor Kelly is back at quarterback. Kelly is going to be one of the elite quarterbacks in the Pac-12. His familiarity with the system will enable younger running backs and receivers to be integrated into the rest of the offense. This is how Kelly can be the glue guy on the offense and ensure that Arizona State plays with the rhythm and flow Graham wants.
Weaknesses
The Sun Devils rested on the strength of their offense last season. Their defense was the weak point, and that’s likely to be the case once again this season. Arizona State was wiped out by Stanford in two games last season, once in September and then again in the Pac-12 Championship Game. It was obvious that Arizona State’s defensive linemen could not withstand the power of the Cardinal. By the late second quarter and early third quarter of those two games, Stanford had gained complete territorial control of the action, and Arizona State really had no place to go. This team has to become more physical along the defensive line. It has to be more combative in its front seven. You are going to see teams try to run the ball straight at Arizona State. Wisconsin did this well in 2013 as well. Arizona State has to be able to show other Pac-12 teams that it can take a punch.
Schedule
The Sun Devils play Notre Dame out of conference, but their focus should be on the Pac-12. UCLA is a home game, and that game could determine the rest of the Sun Devils’ season, since it occurs in September. USC and Arizona are road games, and Arizona State will need to at least split those to stay in the race.
Outlook
The Sun Devils are not as good as last season, but they’re still a really good team, and a lot of people are discounting how much last year’s team achieved. The rest of the Pac-12 South has to prove it can overtake the Sun Devils. This team will definitely win more than seven games this season, possibly more than eight.
Pick: Over 7.5 at -115
