Will Arizona State’s football team be ranked heading into its Thursday showdown with No. 2 Oregon at Sun Devil Stadium? Ducks coach Chip Kelly has a thought.
“If they’re not in the top 25, they should be,” Kelly told local reporters this week.
He may believe that, but keep in mind that Kelly may also have ulterior motives. First, it’s always good form to support Pac-12 conference members. Second, a road win over a ranked opponent would boost the Ducks’ profile in the national pundits’ eyes.
Regardless, a lot may need to happen for the Devils to earn their first AP ranking this season when the poll is released Sunday. Let’s face it: ASU (5-1) has beaten teams it was supposed to beat, and none of those opponents boasts an impressive resume to date. All four of ASU’s FBS wins (Northern Arizona is an FCS school) came against teams that currently sport losing records. A loss at 3-3 Missouri may also be hindering ASU’s hopes; the Tigers are 0-3 in SEC play.
ASU sat at No. 26 in the coaches poll before Thursday’s 51-17 win at Colorado, likely ensuring a spot in that top 25 next week. But the Sun Devils were just 31st in the Associated Press poll.
We’re not sure how many national voters stayed up to watch ASU beat Colorado in Boulder. More importantly, how many stayed with the Devils past halftime, when they held an unimpressive 20-17 lead on the South Division’s worst team?
Even if most of them did, ASU probably still needs some help from the teams ahead of it. Here’s a look at this week's schedule for the 10 teams ahead of ASU, with the favorite in bold.
• No. 21 Cincinnati vs. Fordham
• No. 22 Texas A&M at No. 23 Louisiana Tech
• No. 23 Louisiana Tech vs. No. 22 Texas A&M
• No. 24 Boise State vs. Fresno State
• No. 25 Michigan vs. Illinois
• Ohio vs. Akron
• Baylor vs. TCU
• Iowa State vs. No. 6 Kansas State
• TCU at Baylor
• Michigan State vs. Iowa
While at least two of those teams must lose by playing each other, all the bolded teams above are favored by at least six points.
-- Craig Morgan
