By Lance Umble for DieHardDevil.com

Once again, most experts are predicting that the road to Pasadena this year will likely go through Chip Kelly’s fashion challenged gang in Eugene. Another road which may delay the Ducks’ dominance for a year is the heavily traveled pipeline between Centennial High School and the stadium that overlooks Tempe Town Lake.

The Sun Devils have been incredibly successful of late in pulling blue chip talent out of the heralded Corona, California based High School. The Huskies have won a state record six California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) championships since 2000. In 2008, highly touted teammates Shelly Lyons and Brandon Magee committed to ASU and the dominoes began to fall.

In 2009, Linebacker Vontaze Burfict became the highest rated prospect to sign with ASU after originally committing to Pete Carroll and his cross-town USC Trojans. Burfict competed in the US Army All-American Bowl during his senior campaign at Centennial and was widely regarded by national scouting services as the premier middle linebacker in the country.

Last year, The Sporting News awarded Burfict with 1st Team All-American honors. Entering his Junior campaign this year, he has been named to the 2011 Bronco Nagurski Trophy Watch List as well as the Bednarik Award Watch List, two awards presented annually to the nation’s premier defensive player.

In February, defensive lineman Milo Jordan is expected to join Dennis Erickson’s 2012 recruiting class which would give the Devils an astonishing eight former Huskies on their roster. Defensive tackle Will Sutton and wide receivers Angelo Magee (brother of Brandon Magee) and Jarrid Bryant are also currently donning the maroon and gold. Rounding out the current crop of Centennial High School Huskies turned ASU Sun Devils is incoming Freshman quarterback, Michael Eubank who is listed by recruiting service Rivals as the No. 13 Quarterback in the country.

With the recent run of talent that has migrated East from Corona to Tempe, a lot of credit should be given to the Sun Devil scouting department. Apparently former NFL running back, Steve Broussard, whom Dennis Erickson appointed as the Sun Devil’s recruiting coordinator, has Centennial’s head coach Matt Logan on speed dial on his friends and family plan.

Based on who you talk to, the Devils are picked to finish first or second in the newly formed PAC 12 South Division. The implications of ASU’s game at Oregon on October 15th could play heavily towards a long awaited third Rose Bowl birth for Arizona State. If this year’s season includes a hard-fought victory in Eugene on October 15th, Arizona State may be widely considered one of College Football’s elite programs in 2011.  This could lead to ASU’s Athletic Director, Lisa Love, renaming a certain 343 mile stretch of the I-10 East, the “Centennial Express.”