No place like home for Sun Devils under Graham

A loss to USC to start conference play put the Sun Devils behind the eight-ball to win the Pac 12 South division and since then the Sun Devils have been an afterthought, aside from an upset victory over UCLA.

Before the season, Oregon vs. Arizona State looked like it could be a big game in the Pac-12 race. But there’s still plenty on the line to play for tonight.

“I have noticed it”, Hurley said of the attention.

Throw in a few solid transfer players and the Sun Devils could make a run at an NCAA Tournament berth in Hurley’s first season.

Theodore: I really don’t know. One day this offense looks like world beaters and the next they look like they’re as organized as an intramural flag football team.

Where: Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona. I think it’s a safe bet that the Ducks will spread out their carries more than Utah did.

Nacion: Today may be the last chance.

Having Darren Carrington back helped tremendously, as he showed why he was the most explosive Oregon receiver a year ago, and essentially picked up right where he left off before his suspension. “Have we played to our potential offensively?”

Q: Who has been the more disappointing team in your eyes, ASU or Oregon, and why?

As programs, Oregon and Arizona State do a lot to honor the military, and for that they both should be lauded.

Jones: ASU, by far. The Sun Devils should be fast and fun, putting up plenty of points and, they hope, creating turnovers to set up scores in transition. The Sun Devils have sacked the quarterback 24 times.

Only a handful of current players remember the lopsided game, which Oregon led 43-7 at halftime before calling off Marcus Mariota and Kenjon Barner.

“Just like last year when we were the greatest team in the history of football, which wasn’t true, we’re not the worst team in the history of football this year”, Oregon coach Mark Helfrich said. So yeah, ASU’s been the bigger disappointment.

One area in which the Ducks haven’t missed a beat this season is on the ground. The total is sitting around 66 points, which means both teams will need to come close to the 30s in order to be comfortable with the over.

Nacion: Depends on the criteria. If we’re talking with general expectations, I would say Oregon since it started in the top 10. 500 at this point of the following season.

Basically, these two teams are viewed relatively evenly.

The sophomore wide receiver made his season debut for the Ducks and had five catches for 125 yards and two touchdowns in a 26-20 win at Washington.

Q: Stanford and Utah are the favorites to meet in the Pac-12 Championship Game. That breakaway speed when he sees nothing but green in front of him is like nothing else in college football.

Arizona State plays an aggressive defense, one that will send players blitzing from all over the field, often several at a time. Not much, because both of these schools have so much at stake. That could very well be a de facto “Playoff Quarterfinal” game. The Trojans have found form, and I consider Utah vulnerable enough to falter once again this season. The Sun Devils rank eighth in the Pac-12 in scoring defense, ninth in pass-efficiency defense and 10th on third-down defense.

“Over the summer, right when he got up there, we’d go to the rec center and after practice we work on stuff”, Carrington said.