No way in hell is this a Pac10 #9 ranked team.

[sundevilscott]

This offense that Noel Mazzone is putting in to place is going to be fun to watch. I was really impressed with Threet, he is going to be one of the top in the Pac10. He executed everything he was asked to in that game and really the stats should have been better with the 5 sure drops. D Lewis is going to be a stud for team.

I am not saying #1 but no way in hell are they going to be #9.

 

[Gaddabout]

Judgment for this offense should really be reserved until after the Wisconsin game. The scheme put ASU's speed advantage on display against PSU. It should do the same against NAU. ASU won't have that advantage in Madison, so let's so how the scheme evolves there.

 

[Dback Jon]

Yes, a little early.

Portland State was one of the worst teams in FCS last year. Now with a brand new coach in the first year.

Wisconsin will give you a much better feel for the team.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Yes, a little early.

Portland State was one of the worst teams in FCS last year. Now with a brand new coach in the first year.

Wisconsin will give you a much better feel for the team.

What about NAU?

 

[desertrat218]

It's safe to say Wazzu is the bottom feeder of the conference. Next in line is a tough call. Washington has solid coaching now and a stud QB in Jake Locker. Oregon is an elite team. Oregon State is a top 30 or so team. Cal and Stanford may not be ready to win the conference, but both teams are pretty solid. USC is still USC and more talented than any team in the conference, depth is their only problem now..and maybe coaching. UCLA has a good defense but struggles on offense, hard to believe with Norm Chow running the offense. UofA has a potent offense and the defense looked really good against a middle level MAC team, just missed the Rose Bowl by seconds in the Oregon game and probably will compete with Oregon for that Rose Bowl again this year. I really have a hard time figuring out who else in the conference will finish below ASU. UCLA maybe? Cal or Stanford? I doubt it. Washington? Only if Locker gets hurt. I think it looks like another long season for the Sun Devils.

When will Dennis Erickson be forced out?

 

[Dback Jon]

What about NAU?

I expect NAU to give ASU a much better game than Portland, but if NAU keeps it close, or pulls a North Dakota State or Jacksonville State and actually WINs the game, then you are in serious trouble this year.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

I actually agree with Scott, not because of this game (ASU did beat some FCS team 50-3 last year) but because the Pac-10 isn't that good and they have enough talent in the backfield. I think they go 6-6 and finish somewhere between 6th and 8th, their schedule doesn't allow me to pick them any higher. The road schedule is brutal.

That being said, any mention of Threet being a top conference QB is ludicrous when there's three guaranteed 1st round picks at that position along with all the other returning starters and inevitably productive Duck QB..

 

[AsUdUdE]

I'm somewhere in the middle on this one... I will say Threet is the best QB we've had in 5 years... And that is not debateable...

Also, Our LBs give our defense the ability to do a lot of different things, and I think our secondary is better than it has been in a while with all of our upper classmen and a couple key transfers, let by the stud Bolden..

Our RBs look good, not just on Sat, but in general and camp they have looked solid...

Really the biggest question marks are the lines on both sides of the ball.. and many times that is where games are won and lost... On Sat the offensive line played well, but it is not the sort of thing you can judge the on...

Wisconsin is fast..er.... but the Devils will have another sigificant speed advantage against them, the question is going to be whether the get beat up on the offensive and defensive lines where Wisconsin thrives and ASU struggles...

In the end, I HOPE the Devils win 6-7... I THINK they will be around 4-5, even though they have a more talented team then they have had in years..

 

[AzStevenCal]

I agree that we will be better than 9th in conference this year but we should have been last year also. If Weber had been healthy we would have been in the middle of the pack which is where I see us this season. We might even keep our bowl hopes alive until the final game of the season.

Steve

 

[Nasser22]

Scott, I agree with you 100%. As I mentioned in the game thread, I do believe this team is far better than people think. The Pac-10 will be a fun battle to watch this year and I think we'll be in the middle of it.

 

[ajcardfan]

To me, it's more of a relief that the offense didn't look pathetic like it did last year. But, projecting much into the rest of the season based on an awful Portland State opponent is dicey at best. I still think we're going to get hammered by Wisconsin. Hope I'm wrong.

 

[Dback Jon]

Heck, NAU put up 44 on Portland State last year, in Portland

 

[sundevilscott]

To me, it's more of a relief that the offense didn't look pathetic like it did last year. But, projecting much into the rest of the season based on an awful Portland State opponent is dicey at best. I still think we're going to get hammered by Wisconsin. Hope I'm wrong.

I actually think the game would be closer to the Georgia game last year then getting hammered. We will have a shot in my opinion but should lose to UW.

 

[ajcardfan]

I actually think the game would be closer to the Georgia game last year then getting hammered. We will have a shot in my opinion but should lose to UW.

I think this year's Wisconsin is a better team than last year's Georgia team. But, if our defense forces three turnovers we should have a decent showing against the Badgers.

 

[sundevilscott]

I think this year's Wisconsin is a better team than last year's Georgia team. But, if our defense forces three turnovers we should have a decent showing against the Badgers.

Agreed

 

[green machine]

I'm sorry, but I can't resist. I love how an ASU fan can't spell the word "no" correctly in the title of this thread.

Just saying


Anyway, can't judge anything off that first game. Drops and penalties still seem to be a problem and the big plays won't be there against teams that can match the Devils' speed.

 

[azsportsfan01]

To me, it's more of a relief that the offense didn't look pathetic like it did last year. But, projecting much into the rest of the season based on an awful Portland State opponent is dicey at best. I still think we're going to get hammered by Wisconsin. Hope I'm wrong.

ASU put up 50 last year vs Idaho St. While I think the offense is going to be better this year (and really how could it be worse?) we need to wait until the Pac-10 season starts.

NAU is a good FCS team but they don't have the players to stay with ASU. I think it was 2 maybe 3 years ago they had a lead over ASU going into the 3rd quarter. It is too early to get excited about a blowout over a terrible team in a different division because that is what should happen. If they can put up 21+ vs Wisconsin then that will be a different story.

 

[sundevilscott]

Anyway, can't judge anything off that first game. Drops and penalties still seem to be a problem and the big plays won't be there against teams that can match the Devils' speed.

So you can't tell anything off of Arizona's first win or just ASU's? Because there are plenty of UA fans on message board claiming how they are a Rose Bowl team.

 

[sundevilscott]

I'm sorry, but I can't resist. I love how an ASU fan can't spell the word "no" correctly in the title of this thread.

Just saying

Know way in hell?

 

[green machine]

So you can't tell anything off of Arizona's first win or just ASU's? Because there are plenty of UA fans on message board claiming how they are a Rose Bowl team.

While I don't remember anyone bringing UofA up, you should know that I'm not one of those people. But, any talk like that is based more off of last year than it is the win over Toledo. Finishing 2nd last season, returning virtually the same offense, Foles having another year in the system and a favorable schedule are what feed the Rose Bowl claims, not a week 1 win against a weak opponent.

ASU fans are crowing about a win over an awful, awful team at home. Sure, you probably don't expect to be as bad as last year, but it is not like the Devils had an epic recruiting class or a ton of underclassmen who are now ready for the big stage. They were a bad team last year and, based off of the roster, will probably be a bad team again this year. Any thoughts to the contrary are likely based in hope or an overreaction to last week's win.

Know way in hell?

That wouldn't be right either.

 

[sundevilscott]

ASU fans are crowing about a win over an awful, awful team at home. Sure, you probably don't expect to be as bad as last year, but it is not like the Devils had an epic recruiting class or a ton of underclassmen who are now ready for the big stage. They were a bad team last year and, based off of the roster, will probably be a bad team again this year. Any thoughts to the contrary are likely based in hope or an overreaction to last week's win.

They were a bad team or a bad offense? As I recall they were a great team on the defensive side of the ball.

The 4 close loses were:
Georgia 20-17
Cal 23-21
USC 14-9
UA 20-17 (The muffed punt that gave UA the game.)

All four of those games could have been wins with a slightly better O but yet the myth is we were a bad "team" rather then a team with a bad O. But you are the KTAR writer so I guess you know best.

 

[azmike74]

Know way in hell?

That wouldn't be right either.

Oh noes!

 

[AzStevenCal]

While I don't remember anyone bringing UofA up, you should know that I'm not one of those people. But, any talk like that is based more off of last year than it is the win over Toledo. Finishing 2nd last season, returning virtually the same offense, Foles having another year in the system and a favorable schedule are what feed the Rose Bowl claims, not a week 1 win against a weak opponent.

ASU fans are crowing about a win over an awful, awful team at home. Sure, you probably don't expect to be as bad as last year, but it is not like the Devils had an epic recruiting class or a ton of underclassmen who are now ready for the big stage. They were a bad team last year and, based off of the roster, will probably be a bad team again this year. Any thoughts to the contrary are likely based in hope or an overreaction to last week's win.

Where are these ASU fans that are crowing about a win over an awful team? Surely, you're not talking about the ones who think we looked so good against Portland State that we might actually be better than the 9th place team in our conference? We're not exactly making Rose Bowl reservations here.

Steve

 

[desertrat218]

I'm thinking the ASU-UCLA game decides who comes in 9th. BTW, is ASU's defense really all that good if NAU puts up 20 on them?

 

[Dback Jon]

NAU ran a dumb play at second and one on the opening drive, otherwise NAU would have put up 24. NAU does have a good offense - with an excellent QB, and good line.

ASU's main advantage was the WR's - too tall for NAU's secondary.