Tempe, AZ – The Devils’ Best Interest: Another wonderful week in the Pac-12 conference netted some great results in the best interest of the Sun Devils. 

Not only did ASU take care of their own opponent, but there were some other outcomes that show the competitiveness of the Pac-12. It’s hard to argue that the Pac-12 isn’t one of the elite conferences in the country.

Let’s review what took place in week 8. 

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#20 Washington 24 @ Arizona State 53

This game started out shaky as ASU went 3, and out and the Huskies marched down the field for a touchdown on their first possession. 

However, after the quick score by Washington, the Devils went on to score 29 unanswered points and put the game out of reach. ASU was dominant in every phase of the game and imposed their will against the #20 ranked Huskies. 

Unfortunately, even with the big win, ASU didn’t break back into the national rankings. The good news here is that the Devils still control their own destiny in their quest for a Pac-12 South title and a shot at the Rose Bowl. 

Taylor Kelly accounted for 355 total yards against the #20 Huskies, 271 passing and another 84 on the ground

#9 UCLA 10 @ #13 Stanford 24

This game is the perfect example of the equality and competitiveness of the Pac-12. 

UCLA was previously undefeated and ranked in the Top 10 until they traveled to Palo Alto over the weekend and lost to a Stanford team that didn’t trail the Bruins all day long. 

Stanford was looking to get back into the Top 10 after an ugly loss at Utah in Week 7. In the new AP Rankings, the Cardinal are the highest ranked team with a loss at #6 while the Bruins only dropped to #12. Including Oregon, the Pac-12 has 3 teams ranked in the top 12 of the country.

Washington St. 38 @ #2 Oregon 62 

This was another big win for the Ducks. While Cougar QB Connor Halliday set a new FBS record by throwing 89 passes in a game, it wasn’t enough to cause concern for the #2 ranked Ducks and their own potent offensive attack. 

Oregon’s Byron Marshall, the younger brother of former ASU running back Cameron Marshall, ran for 192 yards and 3 scores. 

Oregon State 49 @ CAL 17

Oregon State keeps winning and Cal keeps losing so this one was no shocker. 

What is a bit confusing is that this week Oregon State is now ranked at # 25. Not only have they not beaten anyone of consequence, but they lost to a FCS school on opening weekend. 

I don’t know how much stock to put into their 49 points because everyone seems to do that against the Golden Bears, but the bottom line is that it’s good to have another conference team among the rankings. Heck, I hope they continue to climb so ASU will benefit with a victory when the Beavers travel to Tempe on November 16.

Utah 24 @ Arizona 35 

Utah hasn’t been kind to the Sun Devils or the conference. First, they beat Stanford, kicking a conference team out of the Top 5, then they lost to the average Wildcats in Tucson. 

After beating Stanford, you thought they might go on a roll. We would have liked to see them ranked when ASU plays them in Salt Lake City on Nov.16, but this loss to the Wildcats pretty much assures that that won’t happen. It would have been so much better for everyone if they would have lost to Stanford but beaten Arizona but that is the way things go in the very unpredictable Pac-12.

Non-Conference Games

USC 10 @ Notre Dame 14

This was going to help ASU no matter how it played out.

If the Trojans would have won, it would have strengthened the perception of the conference. Since the Irish won it pushes them a step closer to being a ranked team. If Notre Dame can go on a roll here and end up with a respectable ranking, it makes ASU’s loss look more justified. If the Devils can finish the regular season with only two losses to highly ranked teams, bowl selection committees will take that into account.

Charleston Southern 10 @ Colorado 43

Colorado won big, and good for them. The Buffaloes only let the Buccaneers score in the second quarter en route to an easy win. Charleston Southern was previously unbeaten so this gives them their only loss of the season while getting Colorado even at 3-3 on the season.

ASU gets a break this weekend since they don’t play again until Halloween night in Pullman, WA. This is a good opportunity for the team to rest up, get healthy, and watch the rest of the conference beat up on each other while competing for bowl position.

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Stay tuned for our preview of Week 9 action later in the week. ForksUp

Safety #4 Alden Darby alerts the crowd of a Sun Devil fumble recovery by LB Chris Young in ASU’s 53-24 Victory over Washington on Saturday