It’s August, and that means we’re in the month of the first ASU game of the 2008-2009 college football season.  In Arizona, it doesn’t really feel like football yet because it’s still so hot…but I know it’s coming, and I’m starting to get excited.  The group of people that I have season tickets with has grown once again…so I think we have a group of 12 or so, now…so it keeps getting better and better.

This is a huge season for ASU, too.  It’s the sophomore season for (not so new anymore) head coach Dennis Erickson, and after a phenomenal debut season last year for him, expectations are high.  Add to that a couple of returning players who were injured last year as well as a maturing team that didn’t loose too much talent, and we have a recipe for a great season.

While every game is important, and because the PAC 10 is so competitive and is structured in such a way that everyone plays everyone (unlike, say, the SEC or the Big 12) it’s even more so, there are a couple of games that stand out.  First, of course, is USC.  Once again, USC is expected to win the PAC 10…but hopefully Dennis and friends will have something to say about that.  But if we head outside of the conference, there’s an equally big game with top ranked Georgia.  I’m already having flashbacks to Nebraska and 19-0, but I’ll try not to get ahead of myself.

In any case, we’re in for an exciting year, and I personally can’t wait for it to get started at the end of this month.  Here is the Sun Devil 2008 schedule.

GO DEVILS!

This is my friend, Obie, having some fun at the wildcats' expense when we found an abandoned U of A cap after ASU beat them on December 1st.  Don't worry...the Calvin impression he's doing is all special effects...but gets the point across.  Besides...this was a home game, and he wouldn't defile Sun Devil Stadium like that. 

Sorry for the small sized pics...but this was taken with my camera phone at night...lots of camera shake and a small sized photo to boot.  I think the idea is clear, though.

GO DEVILS!

Well...its official.  The Sun Devils, even in a tie for the PAC 10 title with USC and a fabulous 10-2 season, were snubbed from the BCS.  Oh well...you can't control it, so you've got to roll with the punches.  We take on a very respectable Texas team on December 27th in the Holiday Bowl in San Diego.  I'm trying to get a party bus together to drive down (and when I say party bus, I mean several 30-something dads who have to get permission from their wives to rent an RV an drive to San Diego right after Christmas).

Tickets are available now.  ASU and Texas have, believe it or not, never played each other...ever.  That's something like 105 years of football...and they've never met.  Should be a great game...and a win in this bowl game will be a perfect cap to an unbelievable season for the Devils.  Could have gone better...but we've gotten used to much worse over the past 5 years.  String a couple seasons like this together...and Dennis Erickson will have earned his money and his accolades.

Great job this year, Sun Devils.  One more to go.  Go Devils!

My Sun Devils are no longer undefeated, but going to the Rose Bowl is still in our own hands!  Our only loss came in Autzen stadium to Oregon, so both teams are tied for 1st place in the PAC 10 with a record of 6-1.  Oregon holds the tie-breaker because our loss was against them.  That puts them in the driver's seat to win the PAC 10 and go to the Rose Bowl...assuming that they win out.  Since they are now ranked number 2 in the BCS standings, though, they will go to the National Championship game if they win out...leaving ASU (again, assuming no losses against USC and UofA) to represent the PAC 10 in the Rose Bowl.  Assuming ASU wins out and Oregon suffers one more loss, again, ASU would go to the Rose Bowl as the sole PAC-10 champs.  The only thing ASU has to do is win their last two games! 

The next game is on Thanksgiving day at home against USC.  This will be the big test.  On December 1st, ASU faces Arizona at home.  This is a very winnable game, but Arizona, with nothing much to be proud of, will base their season on this game...so the Devils will need to be ready.

Okay...now on to more College Football Poll insanity.  Okay, I can buy the top three teams in the BCS Standings (LSU, Oregon, Kansas).  They deserve to be there.  I would swap LSU and Oregon, though.  Kansas is a tough one...they are the only major conference team to be undefeated right now...but their schedule is laughable this year (not playing Texas, Texas Tech, or Oklahoma).  They definitely deserve to be in the top 3...where they go, that's tougher.

Now, on to the rest of the top 10.  This is where it gets just plain silly.  I'm going to compare all these teams to ASU, since that is what I care about...but it helps demonstrate the absurdity.  First, why is Ohio State ranked above ASU at this point (and now I'm talking about the human polls...because that's where the tradition garbage comes in).  Let's see...both have one loss, but that's where the similarity ends.  One of those teams plays in a terrible conference.  One of those teams lost at home to an unranked opponent from that terrible conference.  One of those teams has no notable wins at all.  The other team plays in arguable the best or second best conference.  That team lost to the number 2 team in the nation who is from that powerful conference.  Figure that one out.  What about West Virginia?  C'mon...the Big East?  West Virginia lost to South Florida who was exposed recently as a mediocre team with their 3 game loosing streak to non top 20 teams.  And some of their wins are against teams like Western Michigan, Marshall, and East Carolina (where the freak is East Carolina?).  There is no logic that should rank them above ASU.  Missouri plays in a decent conference, but the Big 12 North is much weaker than the south...and Missouri probably won't even win that half of the conference to play in the title game?  We'll see, but if that's the case, how can they be ranked ahead of ASU?  Oklahoma is a good team...and probably deserves a top 5 or so ranking...but they did loose to an unranked team that ASU beat handily...so again, should they be ranked above ASU?  These rankings really need to have more to do with what has happened on the field and less to do with where the voters think they should be based on where they were ranked last week, when was the last national championship, and what color uniforms they wear (and other irrelevant things).  What happens on the field matters.

That's it...

Go DEVILS!  8-0!  One more week undefeated as ASU takes down the Cal Bears 31-20.  The students go crazy and rush the field.  The packed house leaves happy.  Up next...Oregon at Autzen.  Bring it on!

A youtube video for you Sun Devil fans.

Last night's long overdue loss by Southern Florida (which is in Tampa...not even near South Florida...go figure) leaves only 5 teams in major college football undefeated.  They include our beloved ASU Sun Devils, along with Ohio State, Boston College, Kansas, and (ahem) Hawaii.  Now, Hawaii plays in an awful conference and doesn't play anybody until they play Boise State and Washington (the last two games), so I wouldn't consider them a major player in the BCS (indeed, they are only ranked 18th in the BCS poll, which is great for Hawaii, but not great for a 7-0 team).  Even Boise State and Washington, while likely to beat Hawaii, are unranked teams.

That leaves 4 major undefeated teams with at least decent schedules.  That's pretty good company for ASU to be in as they rest through the bye week, and then start the most difficult part of their season.  Over the 4 weeks (well, 4 and a half...there is a Thanksgiving night game against USC) following the bye week, ASU will face three top 15 teams, two of which are ranked higher (Oregon and California), along with a USC team that is hungry to prove they belong at the top of the BCS standings.  A game against UCLA rounds out that 4 week stretch, and the Bruins are a dangerous team even though two terrible losses to bad teams have dropped them from national favor.  What a season for college football fans!  What a season for Sun Devil fans!  Long live college football.

ASU Fans, you need to get to Sun Devil Stadium next Saturday night, wear gold, and be loud!  Go Devils!

Sorry in advance for the geeky sports rant...but I can't hold it in any longer.

From this weeks AP poll.  Huh?

Okay, everyone knows that college football polls are a little looney, but lately, with every week bringing upset mayhem, the poll participants have completely lost their minds.  The only poll these days that makes any sense seems to me is the College Football News poll which is done editorially rather than by massive vote (it appears, anyway), and they justify the position, along with stating why the team should be higher, and why they should be lower.  They use common sense and analysis to make the picks about who is better than who right now.  Tonight, I'm not even going to touch what my friend Steve Roach, a huge BYU (Mountain West) fan, calls the football cartel (BCS)...I'll stick with the 'creative ranking' even in the major conferences when it comes to the polls, just to keep it interesting and more challenging. More...

I should have posted this a couple of weeks ago, but better late than never.  A few months ago, as part of my overall effort to get back into shape, I decided to sign up for the Kokopelli Triathlon in St. George, Utah.  I live in the Phoenix metro area, so its a good 7-8 hour drive to St. George.  My brother, Cory, convinced me to sign up for this one, as he was going to be doing this one as well.  Cory lives in Park City, UT.  The event was scheduled for Saturday, September 22, 2007.

I began training for my first full triathlon.  I was going to compete in the "Olympic" or "International" distance, which is a 1500 meter swim (about a mile), a 40 kilometer bike ride (about 25 miles), and a 10K run (about 6.2 miles).  I've competed in a triathlon before, but that was as a member of a team, so I only did the 40K bike.  This would be my first complete event.  My last tri was also over 7 years and many pounds ago.  My training was going well, except I didn't really have enough free time to train as much as I needed/wanted to, but finishing the event wouldn't be too hard, and as my first one getting back into shape, that was really my goal. More...

It's time to renew ASU Football Season Tickets.  This year we've got a new coach, a lot of new staff, and a new (hopefully) winning way.  They've dropped the ticket prices in a lot of sections as well.  Go to http://www.thesundevils.com to look at the schedule or buy tickets.  I'll be there again for each home game...we'll see how happy I am at the end of the season.

GO DEVILS!