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Arizona State has as much speed and athleticism as it's had under coach Dennis Erickson. The Sun Devils have one of the best linebacking corps in college football, an impressive offensive line and depth at just about every position.
It's a combination that's ratcheted up expectations in the desert to levels not seen in years.
Whether the Sun Devils live up to the hype will likely hinge on one player: quarterback Brock Osweiler.
The undisputed starter this season, Osweiler is out to prove that his two games under center in 2010 were a glimpse at the future, not just mop-up success at the end of another bowl-less season in Tempe.
''He's only played two football games, so we've got to see as time goes on,'' Erickson said Saturday during Arizona State's media day. ''But I really believe in him, trust in him, and I know everybody on our team does. That's probably the most important thing.''
A year ago, Osweiler was caught in a tight battle with Steven Threet to open the season as Arizona State's starting quarterback. Threet got the nod and Osweiler didn't see much action, throwing a total of 24 passes over the first 10 games.
He finally got his chance against UCLA in the penultimate game of the season, when Threet went down with a concussion. Osweiler immediately ignited the Sun Devils' offense, throwing for 380 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for another to help Arizona State rally from 17 points down to win 55-17 in the program's second-highest scoring Pac-10 game.
He was solid the next week against Arizona, throwing for 264 yards and a score in a wild double-overtime win. OK, so maybe he threw a few balls that probably should have been intercepted and the Sun Devils needed blocked extra points at the end of regulation and in double-overtime to win, but Osweiler was the winning quarterback in one of the program's most dramatic victories over its biggest rival.
This season, Osweiler has the reins all to himself.
Threet decided to walk away from college football after his fourth concussion in five years and has become a student assistant for the Sun Devils. Cerebral Samson Szakacsy also left his playing days behind, leaving the team to pursue his musical and academic interests.
That leaves the ball in Osweiler's hands and, if his confident-not-cocky attitude is any indication, he's ready for the challenge.
''You almost need to prepare harder because you know there isn't a guy right there next to you playing at the same level,'' Osweiler said. ''It's kind of my offense, I need to be the leader of it and I need to perform on a daily basis. I can't take any days off.''
Osweiler certainly has the talent to succeed.
A onetime basketball recruit at Gonzaga, the 6-foot-8 junior is athletic and has a lot of power in that long right arm, able to squeeze balls into impossibly tight spaces from long distances.
Osweiler has added a new tool to his repertoire this season: leadership.
He took charge of the team in that tense, back-and-forth game against Arizona and was one of the ringleaders during offseason workouts. He stepped forward during spring drills, letting everyone know this was his team, and even spent some of his summer mornings racing up nearby South Mountain with teammates to make sure he was ready for the season.
''He looks extremely well,'' said Erickson, in his fifth season in Tempe. ''He's a different guy out there, not only as a quarterback, but a leader, which to me, is a key.''
Erickson isn't the only one who's noticed.
Osweiler's teammates have seen the change in his countenance, his body language and words letting everyone know where to look for leadership.
''I've definitely see a big difference since he's been here,'' Sun Devils receiver Gerrell Robinson said. ''He came here as a boy and I definitely feel he's a man now.''
According to most prognostications, Osweiler will be the one man who can lift the Sun Devils or bring them down.
Arizona State, by most accounts, is solid at just about every position, from All-America candidate Vontaze Burfict and those hard-hitting linebackers to the unified and experienced O-line. Osweiler is perceived as the only real question mark due to his lack of experience, putting the pressure squarely on the tallest shoulders on the team.
Not that he minds.
''I love it. When I was young and I started playing quarterback, that's why I started to play, I wanted the ball in my hands,'' Osweiler said. ''When that game's on the line, I want to be that person out there making the decision. Maybe we win or we lose, but at least I have enough confidence in myself, I trust myself. I'll take that pressure any day.''
After all that waiting, it's finally coming.
