Everyone in Tempe was hoping for this. After five games, the Sun Devils are 4-1, 2-0 in Pac-12 play, and are the most likely candidates to win the first-ever Pac-12 South crown.
Almost everything has gone ASU's way in the first five weeks of the season. From Utah's terrible BCS conference start (0-2, losing their starting quarterback Jordan Wynn to injury) to Arizona's 0-3 conference record, Sun Devils fans are smiling from ear to ear.
It doesn't hurt that ASU has already defeated USC and Oregon State, two teams that have had Arizona State's number for years. The loss to Illinois has turned out to be a teambuilder for the Sun Devils, who have a favorable schedule for the remainder of the season.
Outside of the road game to play the Oregon Ducks, ASU has zero ranked teams on their schedule to close out 2011. That is six games out of seven against very beatable Pac-12 foes.
If Brock Osweiler can lead ASU to a 6-1 finish (and a 10-2 record, 8-1 Pac-12), they will have a very good chance to host the Pac-12 Championship Game. One way or another, this season still has a chance to go down in the history books for the Sun Devils.
After three consecutive losing seasons, the Devils have finally arrived on the national stage. This time, can they stay there?