Arizona State football: Hot start means new goals for Sun Devils

Arizona State has run through the first five weeks of its schedule, going 4-1, with the only loss coming at Missouri. ASU is 2-0 in conference play, having outscored their Pac-12 opponents by 40 points. Before the season, fans did not predict this sort of a start from the Sun Devils, as many were just hoping for a trip to a bowl game.

The expectations have now grown with the success on the field. Arizona State blog House of Sparky had a roundtable discussion this week about what they want from the ASU football team this year. Cory Williams believes that the goal of a bowl game is no longer enough:

I think it's safe to say that preseason expectations can go out the window. ASU has responded very well to their new coach, and four wins in five games is beyond most people's expectations for the Sun Devils in 2012. With that said, there are seven more games on the schedule. Winning only two games out of seven? That cannot be acceptable to fans. That just isn't reasonable.

ASU has a great chance to move to 5-1 on Thursday when they travel to Boulder and take on the Colorado Buffaloes. CU has struggled this season and was blown out by the UCLA Bruins, 42-14, their last time out. Getting a win in that game would put the Sun Devils within one game of bowl eligibility. Fans, players and coaches would have to be thinking about much more than six wins at that point.