TLOS Preview - #22 Arizona State

By Jordan Jensen
Love of Sports Correspondent

(Starting August 1st, The Love of Sports will be featuring one college football program each day, breaking down their offense, defense and - most importantly - their food, beverage, cheerleaders, tailgating prowess and all-around campus life! That’s because those are the things we value here the most. College football is all about the atmosphere, and that’s exactly what we’ll give you all season long!)

Today’s Preview: Arizona State Sun Devils

TLOS Preseason Week: #22
TLOS Predicted Record: 9-4
2007 Record: 10-3
Returning Lettermen: 40

Offense

Dennis Erickson’s first season at Arizona State surpassed everyone’s expectations, perhaps even his. At 10-3, the Sun Devils earned themselves some respect in the solid Pac-10 conference. The only problem for ASU this season is living up to the expectations they created for themselves last year.

Quarterback Rudy Carpenter’s coming off a 3,000 yard season where he was dependable all season until a collapse against Texas in the Holiday Bowl. Returning with Carpenter will be his favorite target, Chris McGaha, and a very serviceable running back in Keegan Herring. All three players were extremely important pieces to ASU’s success last year, and all will need to carry the weight again this season if they intend on repeating their winning ways. The offensive line was a weak spot, though, allowing four sacks per contest. They’ll be watched closely for sure. If you think the offensive line was bad in ‘07, take into consideration that both tackles, the center and stud tight end Brent Miller are gone, so inexperience will be the only thing between opposing pass rushers and Carpenter’s grill. There’s some brilliance in this talented offense, but the line will make it or break it all year long.

Defense

Dexter Davis and his 10.5 sacks are returning along with safety Troy Nolan and last year’s freshman phenom CB Omar Bolden. The pass defense was very good, and the credit has to go to the big four up front. The pressure they put on opposing offenses allowed the defensive backs to play tight and gamble, which paid off big time. Expect the defensive line to be solid again this season behind Davis, who as a junior should get some national attention this year.

Season Outlook

The Devil’s have a tough schedule and some big holes to fill on the offensive line. Expect their defense to be solid, keeping them in games for a chance to win late. They had a knack for big halftime deficits last year and a talent for second half comeback wins. After winning games by the seat of their pants, though, they’ll need to establish their offense earlier in games if they plan on challenging USC for the Pac-10 title.

Stadium

Sun Devil Stadium holds 71,706 fans, which is certainly not the largest stadium in the country, but it could be the most visually impressive. The stadium sits between two mountain buttes that serve as a cradle to the structure. It’s played host to a Papal visit in 1987, Super Bowl XXX in 1996 and on five occasions contests played here have crowned NCAA National Champions, most recently in 2003 when a referee handed Ohio State the title against Miami. Be sure to bring a bag of ice to sit on for the first few games of the year, and dress in board shorts, bikinis or less, because it stays above 100 degrees well into October. Just be sure not to throw the ice at other spectators, because I know a guy who knows a guy who told me they’ll throw you out for doing so.

Schedule

If you’re a Sun Devil fan and the questions about the o-line don’t scare you, then the schedule will. Barring a natural disaster, ASU should easily start off 3-0 with home games against Northern Arizona, Stanford and UNLV. But don’t go getting cocky on me, as the coaches’ preseason #1, Georgia, comes to town September 20th, followed by trips to Cal and USC. Oregon heads to the desert after that, so with potential slip-ups lurking, ASU could be 3-4 after the Ducks fly away.

Biggest Game

Even though #1 comes to ASU, the biggest game of the year is definitely October 11th at USC. If the Sun Devils have any ideas of rising to the top of the Pac-10, the road goes through the Trojans, who the Sun Devils haven’t beaten since 1999.

School Atmosphere

Pregaming: Playboy Magazine’s No. 1 Party School in the Nation for 2008 naturally is going to have several great options. Tailgating in Lot 59 is a must for anyone going to a game in Tempe, as the wild and crazy are almost always happening each week.

Bar Hopping: If tailgating isn’t your bag, then head to Mill Avenue for drinks at The Library (nice looking women in school girl outfits), The Tavern (great patio), or for some Irish flair, hit up Rula Bula (Irish people get hammered).

Postgame Action: After games, and especially after wins, Mill Avenue is packed. If you didn’t meet a co-ed at the game, then head upstairs to Suite 301, where the third floor rooftop patio is an excellent aphrodisiac for the very attractive ASU student body.

Famous Alumni

--Steve Allen, Original Host of the Tonight Show
--Barry Bonds, MLB’s Home Run King
--Chris Cohan, Owner of Golden State Warriors
--Reggie Jackson, MLB Hall of Famer
--Al Michaels, Hall of Fame Announcer
--David Spade, Actor/Writer, Former SNL Cast Member

What Separates Arizona State From the Rest

This is quite simply the easiest subject I have ever written about, as ASU is all about attractive girls. They’re simply everywhere; every shape, size, color and moral standard. If you’ve never treated yourself to a drive down University Drive in the afternoon during the school year, I dare you to do so without rear-ending the car in front of you. Should you dare to get out of your car take a stroll down Palm Walk, you’ll see co-eds in every direction, if you didn’t get whiplash from your recent fender-bender, of course. If the whiplash didn’t happen at that point, then you’ll surely get it from your stroll through campus. Every year comes a new freshman class, and every year the shorts and skirts get shorter and my walks through campus get longer. These girls make up the student section at ASU home games, so can you blame a player for not having his head in the game 100% of the time?

Shameless Cheerleader Photos

PREVIOUS PREVIEWS

#25 - Fresno State Bulldogs
#24 - Penn State Nittany Lions
#23 - Oregon Ducks

OTHER TOP STORIES

--Most Memorable Olympic Moments

--Can 2008 Possibly Get Any Better?

--College FB’s Eight Baddest Men on the Planet

--College FB’s Top 10 Quarterbacks

--NBA Schedule Hits Newsstands

--Why We Love Rocco Baldelli

--Old School Love for Tony Hawk

(If you love college football, then you probably also love tailgating with a six-pack of ice cold beer! If that’s the case, visit our sister site, The Love of Beer, to find out what we’re serving today!)