My Favorite Time of the Year

With football season a little more than two weeks away, preparations are under way on Sun Devil Stadium in order to ready it for the August 30th season opener versus Northern Arizona. Last season's Pac-10 Championship and Holiday Bowl appearance were added to the stadium last week, the grass is getting trimmed, and the goalposts are getting a brand new coat of neon yellow paint. One of the neater projects that is underway to prepare the stadium goes along with celebrating its' 50th anniversary, as ASU legends will greet fans as they enter through the south turnstiles. Images of Frank Kush, Jake Plummer, Danny White, and Pat Tillman (just to name a few) will adourn the large wind whirly-things, replacing last year's images of current football players and Coach Erickson. This will be one of the ways the university will celebrate the Golden Anniversary of Sun Devil Stadium.

My proposal to help celebrate the season and the tradition of Sun Devil football would be to replicate previous field and endzone designs. For example, one game would be a design from say the 10-1 Border Conference champions from 1959. Another game would feature a neat endzone design from the 1960s, etc, etc. Looking through the old Sun Devil football pictures, one can see the many unique endzone designs that ASU used throughout the 50 year time period. Some being rather plain but others being creative and cool, like one design which features a script-like ASU, placed in between two older Sparky logos, where Sparky is positioned inside a gold sun. For the '80s and '90s you could pick endzone designs that honor the Rose Bowl years. For the '70s there is the endzone made famous from "The Catch", a script ASU filled in with the American flag (similar to what Major League Baseball did this year for the Fourth). I believe this would be a fantastic way to celebrate the heritage and tradition of Sun Devil Stadium and Arizona State football and would be a neat "old-school" crowd pleaser.

Later I will add my selections for what endzones I think would be neat to replicate this season.

ASU-Georgia Tickets

According to the Arizona Republic:

The ASU ticket office has announced that single-game tickets for the ASU-Georgia game on Sept. 20 are sold out, and that the only seats left for the Georgia game - about 3,000 of them - are available on a season-ticket basis.

Season tickets are sold out in the upper level endzone sections. Those are areas for which many Georgia fans were purchasing season ticket packages for $99 throughout the summer in anticipation that the single-game seats would not be available.

Single-game tickets for the Georgia game were to be priced at $65.

If any remaining season tickets are not sold by Sept. 9, ASU will then make those tickets available on a single-game basis.

Single game tickets for the rest of the 2008 ASU football schedule go on sale Thursday morning at 9 a.m. In addition, fans can buy tickets to four of ASU's road games: at California (Oct. 4), at Oregon State (Nov. 1), at Washington (Nov. 8) and at Arizona (Dec. 6).

News & Notes from Opponents

A Couple Notes from around the Pac-10:

Arizona ticket sales are down 13.7% from last year, as currently they have only sold about 22,000 season tickets. Last year the Wildcats averaged 52,000 fans with about 25,000 of them being season ticket holders. On the flip side, ASU has sold more season tickets already than they did last season, and that's without about 5,000 Student Tickets that have yet to be sold. The Sun Devils will most likely end up with a whopping 50,000 season ticket holders this season (out of 71,706 seats at Sun Devil Stadium), the 50,000 season tickets holders would almost fill the capacity of Arizona's Stadium. The Sun Devils are on pace to sell their most season tickets in 15 years.

ASU is keeping mostly injury free (keep those fingers crossed!). The only injury of concern right now is really just WR Nate Kimbrough's, and the good news there is he won't have to have surgery on a fractured bone under his eye. Originally expected to miss up to a month because of the freak weighlifting accident, Kimbrough is expected to start practicing this week. A couple of other minor Sun Devil injuries are WR's McGaha (foot), Williams (concussion), and Jones (concussion). Tailbacks Herring (Shoulder) and DeWitty (Hamstring) and center Altieri (concussion). All of the injuries are minor and only kept the players out of a scrimmage on Tuesday.

USC QB Mark Sanchez is recovering nicely from his dislocated kneecap. The Trojan QB is on schedule to return prior to the team's season opener at Virginia.


Some News from up North:

With a full week of practices under their belt, the Lumberjacks' coaching staff is pleased with the progress and play. Head Coach Souers is especially pleased with the play of the offensive line and the linebacker unit. Safety Adam Wright and Corner Josh Luck have also stood out during practices. There have been no reported injuries from the 'Jacks camp that would keep anyone out from the opener against ASU.

NAU has one former Sun Devil on their roster, DB Brian Hunter.

The Lumberjacks are organizing a bus for fans to travel down to the Valley for the August 30th game against ASU. Hopefully they plan on some other form of entertainment, unless they are coming for the fireworks show!


Some News from the Deep South:

Georgia's practice notes are starting to read like a M*A*S*H Prison Report, with a boatload of Bulldog players either injured or suspended. The latest Georgia player to go out was their best offensive lineman, All-Conference LT Trinton Sturdivant, he suffered an injury to his left knee which will recquire reconstructive surgery and will keep him out for the season. Over in the Law & Order Department and the Bulldogs legal troubles, they have had eight players arrested during the offseason, six of which have been suspended or dismissed from the team.

Updated Pac-10 Predictions

Well after looking over the schedules and re-doing my math a hundred times at least, I am now ready to back up my rankings of the Pac-10 teams. Shockingly, there are some changes! The reason I was somewhat nervous about my initial rankings was mainly because I had Arizona ranked fourth, when in my heart and gut I have them finishing lower than that. But here's a schedule breakdown with my picks. Again, I'm terrible with decision making, so picking each game has been quite a chore.

1) USC -- 11-1 Overall; 9-0 Pac-10
Wins -- @ Virginia, @ Oregon St, Oregon, ASU, @ Wazzu, @ Arizona, Washington, Cal, @ Stanford, Notre Dame, @ UCLA
Losses -- Ohio State

2) Arizona State -- 10-2; 8-1
Wins -- NAU, Stanford, UNLV, @ Cal, Oregon, @ Oregon St, @ Washington, Wazzu, UCLA, @ Arizona
Losses -- Georgia, @ USC

3) California -- 8-4; 5-4
Wins -- Michigan St, @ Wazzu, @ Maryland, Colo St, UCLA, Oregon, Stanford, Washington
Losses -- ASU, @ Arizona, @ USC, @ Oregon State

4) Oregon -- 8-4; 5-4
Wins -- Washington, Utah St, @ Purdue, Boise St, @ Wazzu, UCLA, Stanford, Arizona
Losses -- @ USC, @ ASU, @ Cal, @ Oregon State

5) Arizona -- 6-6; 4-5
Wins -- Idaho, Toledo, @ UCLA, Washington, Cal, Oregon State
Losses -- @ NM, @ Stanford, USC, @ Wazzu, @ Oregon, ASU

6) UCLA -- 4-8; 4-5
Wins -- Wazzu, Stanford, Oregon State, @ Washington
Losses -- Tennessee, @ BYU, Arizona, Fresno State, @ Oregon, @ Cal, @ ASU, USC

7) Oregon State -- 5-7; 4-5
Wins -- @ Stanford, Hawaii, Wazzu, Cal, Oregon
Losses -- @ Penn St, USC, @ Utah, @ Wazzu, ASU, @ UCLA, @ Arizona

8) Washington -- 4-8; 3-6
Wins -- Stanford, Oregon St, Notre Dame, @ Wazzu
Losses -- @ Oregon, BYU, Oklahoma, @ Arizona, @ USC, ASU, UCLA, @ Cal

9) Stanford -- 3-9; 2-7
Wins -- San Jose St, Arizona, Washington State
Losses -- Oregon St, @ ASU, @ TCU, @ Washington, @ Notre Dame, @ UCLA, @ Oregon, USC, @ Cal

10) Washington State -- 4-8; 1-8
Wins -- @ Baylor, Portland State, Arizona, @ Hawaii
Losses -- Oklahoma St, Cal, Oregon, @ UCLA, @ Oregon St, USC, @ Stanford, @ ASU, Washington

So looking at this breakdown, the teams that jump out at me as being out of place are: UCLA at sixth and Oregon State at seventh. I feel that the Beavers could a decent season and finish bowl eligible (six wins) and that UCLA will have a problem finishing 4-5 in the Pac. Also, I could see Stanford winning more than two games in the conference this season and Oregon finishing ahead of Cal for third place.

Bad Week for Pac-10 Quarterbacks

This was a rough week for quarterbacks in the Pac. UCLA QB Ben Olson broke a bone in his foot at practice on Saturday during a non-contact drill and will be out for at least eight weeks. Olson suffered the same injury in the spring. Olson missed most of last season with an injury, but last year's late-season starter is out for the season with an injury. UCLA's schedule is already probably the most difficult in the Pac-10, the rash of injuries at quarterback doesn't help matters for the Bruins.

USC's Mark Sanchez was injured during Friday's practice when he went down with a dislocated kneecap. Sanchez is expecting to be back in time for the season opener against Virginia, but with so much talent behind him at SC (namely Mitch Mustain, a transfer QB from Arkansas who went 8-0 as a Razorback) Sanchez might find himself second on the depth chart when he gets back.

The other Pac-10 starter to go down this week was Washington QB Jake Locker. Locker went out with a strained hamstring on Friday, but isn't expected to miss much time. The Huskies chances are riding on Locker this season, as he is undoubtedly Washington's most talented player and their leader.

With quarterbacks falling left and right in the Pac-10, an impressive feat for Sun Devils' QB Rudy Carpenter is his 31 consecutive starts. Especially because of the injuries he has sustained over the past few seasons.

Pac-10 Picks

Well here are my preliminary rankings of the Pac-10 teams. I'm sure it will change multiple times between now and the season opener, as it's already changed multiple times between my initial ranking and posting it. Teams 4-7 could finish in any order and the same goes for teams 8-10. But here goes nothing:

1. USC
2. Arizona St
3. Oregon
4. Arizona
5. California
6. Oregon State
7. UCLA
8. Washington
9. Stanford
10. Washington St

I'll break down why I have them picked in this order later and will also include my Top Pac-10 Games of the Year. I'll also probably be re-arranging the order :P

Monday Notes

Devils lose Offensive and Defensive Linemen

Arizona State offensive tackle Richard Tuitu'u, who finished spring practices No. 1 on the depth chart, has quit the team. The Sun Devils offensive line lost three starters from a unit that gave up 55 sacks a year ago, and the position is a huge concern as preseason practices start Monday. Tuitu'u was the only returning lineman with experience at tackle. He played in 19 games in two seasons, with one start.
Redshirt freshman Adam Tello, listed at 283 pounds, now moves up on the depth chart. Coach Dennis Erickson called Tello a good pass blocker.
Arizona State could use some help on the defensive line, but it's probably not going to come from talented but troubled Eugene Germany. Germany hasn't sufficiently fulfilled requirements set forth by coach Dennis Erickson and the school to join the team, according to an athletic department official. Germany signed with USC in 2004 out of Pomona (Calif.) High School but ended up at Michigan, where he played in eight games as a redshirt freshman in 2006. When things went sour there, he bolted for Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, Calif., where he had 9.5 sacks last season. He joined the Sun Devils recruiting class in the winter, but his status has been in question since the spring.

McGaha was named one of the Pac-10's six current "clutch" performers. Ted Miller of ESPN had this to say about the Devils' receiver.
McGaha is the guy QB Rudy Carpenter turns to when he needs to move the chains. We know this because 48 of McGaha's 61 receptions in 2007 went for first downs. That's a conversion rate of 79 percent.

Jake Plummer was one of the Pac-10's clutch performers of all time, making the list of ten, Jake "The Snake" was the swashbuckling face of the 1996 Sun Devils. He led them to a double-overtime victory over USC and accounted for three TDs in the final eight minutes in a comeback win over UCLA. He nearly led ASU to a perfect season, falling victim to a late Ohio State TD in the Rose Bowl.

In other college football news, Georgia has suspended its fifth player for the first game of the season. The Bulldogs have encountered a plethora of off-season problems with players.

Preseason Coaches Poll

ASU's much anticipated opponent, Georgia, garnered the #1 ranking in the preseason coaches poll. The Devils came in at #16, eight points out of 15th. USC is #2 and Oregon is #20. Oregon State, California, UCLA, and Arizona each received votes (or in Arizona's case..vote.)

(Team, Points, First-place votes)

1. Georgia 1,438 (22)
2. USC 1,430 (14)
3. Ohio State 1,392 (14)
4. Oklahoma 1,329 (3)
5. Florida 1,293 (5)
6. LSU 1,163 (3)
7. Missouri 1,143
8. West Virginia 1,008
9. Clemson 999
10. Texas 979
11. Auburn 888
12. Wisconsin 747
13. Kansas 714
14. Texas Tech 644
15. Virginia Tech 568
16. ASU 560
17. BYU 547
18. Tennessee 506
19. Illinois 422
20. Oregon 399
21. South Florida 350
22. Penn State 313
23. Wake Forest 203
24. Michigan 112
25. Fresno State 91

Others receiving votes: Alabama 83; South Carolina 64; Utah 60; Florida State 53; Rutgers 53; Boston College 47; California 1; Pittsburgh 34; Boise State 25; Oregon State 23; Nebraska 17; Cincinnati 13; Virginia 12; Connecticut 9; Michigan State 9; Mississippi State 6; Kentucky 5; Notre Dame 5; TCU 5; Maryland 4; North Carolina 3; Texas A&M 3; UCLA 3; Central Florida 2; Georgia Tech 2; Louisville 2; Arizona 1; Colorado 1; Oklahoma State 1; Tulsa 1.

Preseason News & Notes

Some news and notes regarding ASU football from around the country:

--In the annual preseason conference media day, the Sun Devils were picked 2nd in the Pac-10, behind USC. ASU has never been picked to win the Pac-10, but have been conference champions three times (1986, 1996, 2007).

--The ASU-Georgia game on September 20th has been named #6 on the Must-See Games of 2008 by Bruce Feldman on ESPN.com.

"The mighty Dawgs head west (way west) for the first time in a very long time to meet an Arizona State squad which could be dangerous if it learned how to protect the passer. The last time UGA met a touted team with a similar rep, the Dawgs hammered Colt Brennan's squad and left anyone who talked Hawaii up looking foolish. A win here would be huge for the Pac-10's rep against the vaunted SEC."

--ESPN's Ted Miller ranked the Pac-10's five most bitter rivalries, with ASU-UofA ranking second behind USC-UCLA. He even went as far as to call it perhaps the nation's most underrated rivalry.

"Perhaps the nation's most underrated rivalry, as I found out first hand. There's a rational basis for the extreme dislike -- UA tried to stop ASU from becoming an accredited university in the 1950s -- but it's festered into the sort of joyful, spiteful irrationality that fuels, say, Auburn-Alabama."

--Miller also ranked Rudy Carpenter as the Pac-10's best Quarterback.

"He enters his senior season with 65 touchdowns and 8,000 yards passing, meaning he's going to dust such luminaries, such as Matt Leinart, Jake Plummer, John Elway and Carson Palmer in the Pac-10 record book. Moreover, the Sun Devils figure to finish in the top-third in the conference."

--And a ranking of the Pac-10's most hated teams put the Sun Devils as the third most hated team in the Pac-10. Arizona ranked 8th. People dislike a winner way more than those teams they feel sorry for.

"This is a recent hate elevation. The Sun Devils used to be middle-of-the-pack for all teams other than Arizona. But now the program, long hailed a sleeping giant, appears to be waking up with Dennis Erickson at the helm. That breeds jealousy. And lots of folks are quick to insist that ASU is easier to get into academically than most Pac-10 schools."

About Arizona they said this: "The only team that really hates Arizona is Arizona State, but that hate is pretty strong and keeps the Wildcats registering on the Hate Meter. And, if the program's turnaround... any second... any second... finally arrives, expect a more confident Mike Stoops to find ways to annoy fans from schools outside the Grand Canyon State."

--The Arizona Republic reported on how the Georgia fans are gearing up for the big game. The last time the Bulldogs came this far west was in 1960 in a 10-3 loss at Southern Cal. Georgia easily sold it's 7,000+ ticket allotment and many fans are purchasing ASU season tickets just to come for that one game. In all estimates are ranging anywhere from 10,000 - 25,000 Bulldog fans will make the trip to the House of Heat. It should be an intense atmosphere that will be reminiscent of the ASU-Nebraska game in 1996, where Nebraska fans were loud and made up almost half of the home crowd.

--A new rule change for this season regarding the use of instant replay should be a positive addition. Now, if there is a fumble that is recovered by the defense but the official whistles the play dead (i.e. Cal vs. ASU last season), the play can be reviewed to determine whether or not it was a fumble and which team gets possession. Doug Rhoads, college football officials' coordinator for 20+ schools explained it as, "In the past, if an official ruled a player's knee was down and then the ball came loose, that was not a fumble. When his knee was down, the play was over. Once he's down, there's no review. Now, regardless of what the official rules, if there is an immediate recovery, they can review it to make sure possession is rewarded to the right team. Replay won't happen when there's a huge cluster and officials are trying to figure out who has the ball under the pile. Only the officials can determine that. But if there's a split second when the ball comes loose, another player recovers it and the play is dead, they can review it and see whether his knee was down or not."

Another rule change is that all facemask penalties will be of the 15 yard variety and also when a play ends up out of bounds, instead of the clock stopping until the next snap it will stop only for the official to place the ball on the hashmark and then will start again.

--Sports Illustrated ranked ASU the #1 Athletic Program in the nation. Stanford finished 2nd and UCLA 3rd. USC was 7th and Arizona was 22nd, seventh out of Pac teams.

Weekly Notes

So it's been awhile since I have posted, about three or four weeks I think, and I'm going to blame that on schoolwork and other time consuming things but anyway here we go...

Some notes from ASU...

-- ASU hit the polls this week for the first time under Erickson. Coming in at #23 in the AP and #25 in the USA Today and in other polls ranked anywhere from #11 to #24.
-- CSTV named ASU's student section the best in the Pac-10 after its visit during the Oregon State game and had quite a few good videos and bloggings on their trip to Tempe.
-- The 5 picks were a first since 1998, and the first time two players had picks since 1991.
-- ASU has allowed 62 points so far this season, over half of them (39) have come in the 1st quarter.
-- ASU is 16 of 17 in the red zone so far this year, with 12 Touchdowns and 4 Field Goals.
-- Oregon State hasn't won in Tempe since 1969, and that streak will last for at least another year as the Devils travel to Oregon State next year.
-- ASU has outscored opponents 49-7 in the last five minutes of the first half and the first five minutes of the second half. They've also had to come back from double-digit deficits twice so far this season.
-- When the Devils take on Stanford this Saturday they'll be looking at ending a 14 game winless streak against Pac-10 foes on the road in the state of California.
-- ASU leads the Pac-10 in scoring defense, pass defense, total defense, first downs, red zone offense, and time of possession.
-- ASU is one of 23 teams that are undefeated so far this season.
-- Rudy Carpenter is ranked 14th nationally in passing efficiency with 11 touchdowns and 3 picks. Sam Keller is ranked 36th, with 7 TDs and 6 Ints, and Willie Tuitama is ranked 53rd, 10 TDs and 4 Ints.
-- The Stanford game kicks off at 7pm and will be televised on FSN. Also the Wazzu game the following weekend will be broadcast on FSN with a 1pm start time.