As Pac-12 Conference match-ups kicked off this weekend, things played out nicely for the Sun Devils best interest moving forward into week 6. 

While some non-conference games didn’t help the Devils cause, the team still controls their own destiny heading to Dallas to face Notre Dame this weekend.

Taylor Kelly and the Sun Devil Offense tallied 62 points against USC, and tied for the most ever scored on SC in Trojan history

USC @ ASU

In a huge Pac-12 south opener for the Sun Devils, the team responded to their loss at Stanford with a dominating win over the visiting Trojans.

The 62 points scored against USC equals their highest point total ever allowed to an opponent. Not only did ASU get their first conference win, but they also took out a major rival in the South along the way.

The loss cost USC coach Lane Kiffin his job and gave the Devils some extra momentum heading into this weeks match-up with Notre Dame. ASU also jumped back into the national rankings at #22.

Arizona @ Washington

I was glad to be wrong about this game. I thought the Wildcats would make a game out of this contest (which they did in the first half), but the Huskies dominated after halftime and came away with a 31-13 win over the Cats in a rain soaked contest in Seattle.

This win was good for the Devils because it helped Washington move up in the rankings which is good for the conference and handed rival Arizona a conference loss.

Stanford @ Washington State

Stanford crushed Wazzu 55 -17, and this is also good for the Pac-12.

Since both teams play in the Pac-12 North, the outcome really didn’t affect ASU. However, whenever a top Pac-12 team and the #5 team in the country goes on the road and wins big, it bodes well for the Pac-12’s position nationally.

Since no teams ranked in the top 4 lost, Stanford holds on to #5 this week.

CAL @ Oregon

Both teams play in the North division, so we were pulling for a big win by Oregon to stay undefeated and ranked #2 in the country. The Ducks again dominated their opponent, closing out the win over the Cougars 55-16. Like Stanford, the Ducks maintain their #2 ranking this week.

Colorado @ Oregon State

This one helped the Devils. 

Since Oregon State plays in the North, and Colorado is a direct competitor in the South, supporting the Beavers made sense in this one. Oregon State won big, 44-17. One could argue that the Buffs are a non-contender in the South, so a Colorado win wouldn’t impact ASU.

We’re going to stick to the theme that any South team taking a conference loss is a positive for ASU’s hopes of winning the South.

Outside the Pac-12 Conference

While things broke the Devils way in the conference this week, they were not helped by other teams that we need to keep an eye on. 

First, the Wisconsin Badgers dropped their game to Ohio State and fell out of the Top 25. Likewise, Notre Dame didn’t put up much of a fight against #14 Oklahoma and also fell out of the national rankings. 

We’d prefer these teams to continue winning. It plays into ASU’s overall strength of schedule.

Don’t miss the next party in Sun Devil Stadium – October 12 vs Colorado

Summary

There were four Pac-12 South teams in action on Saturday, and ASU was the only team to win. 

Having their toughest conference game (Stanford) out of the way, the Devils now have an advantage over the rest of the teams in the South.

This week the Pac-12 has five teams ranked in the Top 25 and four of them are among the top 15 teams in the country. The Devils will only help their cause, and that of the conference, by winning on the road this week against Notre Dame.

See you in Dallas, Sun Devil Nation