It was a disappointing weekend in Texas for the Sun Devils. ASU had a huge opportunity to help themselves and the Pac-12 conference in the national spotlight, and they came up short.

Only two teams among the top 25 lost and unfortunately, the Devils were one of them. Let’s take a look at their loss to the Irish and the other action around the Pac 12 as it unfolded last weekend.

ASU Stand-out Receiver, So #21 Jaelen Strong

Notre Dame 37 – #22 ASU 34

This game was tough to swallow on so many levels. The Sun Devils didn’t tackle well, and they kept sending blitzes on Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees without having an impact.  The offense had some crucial turnovers and too many three and out possessions, keeping their tired defense on the field much too long. 

Make no mistake about it, this was a bad loss. The Devils made a very average Notre Dame team look like contenders for a national title, and they most definitely are not in that category.  

Also, the loss dropped ASU from the rankings, and with the upcoming schedule it looks like it could be a while if they are ever to return.

Now, on the positive side this wasn’t a conference loss. The Devils still control their destiny in the conference and could still get to the Rose Bowl, but this game may have just exposed the Devils as another team struggling to beat a quality opponent on the big stage. However, I still feel that ASU has superior talent to Notre Dame and that is what makes this loss so difficult to handle. On to the Pac-12 South…

#12 UCLA – 34 Utah 27

We covered this game in last weeks preview. A Bruin loss in the South would be good news.

As a result of the win over Utah, the Bruins moved up to #11, giving the Pac-12 three teams in the top 11 of the nation. Also, if UCLA keeps rolling, the Devils will have another big chance to gain more respect with a win over the Bruins when they meet in November.

#2 Oregon 57 – Colorado 16

As expected, the Ducks clobbered the Buffaloes. The game was only competitive for about 10 minutes before Oregon pulled away.

The win keeps Oregon at the #2 spot in the polls and in the hunt for the national championship game. It bods well for the conference if Oregon makes it to the biggest post-season game, and of course it would deliver some big time bowl revenue in the process.

#5 Stanford 31 – #15 Washington 28

This was perhaps the best game of the weekend. The Huskies simply would not go away and give Stanford an easy win. If it were not for some extremely bad decisions in the kicking game, Washington might have pulled off a huge upset like they did last year. 

As it stands now, the Huskies only dropped one spot to #16 in the polls. Keeping Stanford in the top 5 is good for the Devils and the conference. Also, beating Washington in two weeks could give ASU a solid boost.

Washington State 44 – California 22

This game was a shootout. While there was really no impact on the Sun Devils here since both teams play in the Pac-12 North, we did see that Washington State is a much better team than they were last year. This could set up an interesting game as the Devils travel to Pullman for a Thursday night game on Halloween.

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Other than the ASU loss, things played out in week 6 as expected throughout the conference. The Sun Devils made it through the early season “gauntlet” at 2-2, and now focus all of their attention on the Pac-12 South, starting this weekend against Colorado.