This football game against Texas Tech may not have impact on ASU's standing in the Pac-12, but don't let anyone tell you it isn't important.
If the Sun Devils can win this game against Texas Tech, then they can recapture some of the swagger that vanished in 2015.
Even though the win over NAU was nice, that game didn't exactly subdue the stench of ASU's underwhelming 2015 season.
For all you Sun Devil fans, remember how much optimism there was surrounding the ASU football team heading into 2015?
The team had just concluded its second straight 10 win season and ended the 2014 campaign with a Sun Bowl victory over Duke and were ranked 15th in the final College Football Playoff Rankings.
ASU was returning playmakers like quarterback Mike Bercovici and wide receiver/running back DJ Foster and headed into the 2015 year ranked 15th in the preseason AP Top 25 Poll.
It wasn't just people in Tempe who jumped on the Sun Devil hype train, ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit even picked the Sun Devils to go to the College Football Playoff.
In all reality, there was no reason not to be excited about ASU football coming into the 2015 season.
That is, until they played their first game — an ugly 38-17 loss to Texas A&M.
A too-close-for-comfort 35-21 win over lower-tier Football Championship Subdivision foe Cal Poly only heightened concerns and, after a week four 42-14 shellacking at the hands of the USC Trojans, it seemed as though all hope was lost.
At that point it was clear that all of the momentum the Sun Devils had built entering the 2015 season had crumbled away.
The team's Playoff dreams, or even Pac-12 Championship dreams for that matter, were dashed and instead ASU ended the once-promising 2015 season at a meager 6-7.
Now, all of that optimism around the program is gone, but that's why the TTU game is so significant.
Unlike NAU, Texas Tech is a legitimate out-of-conference opponent that plays in a Power Five league in the Big 12.
No, the Red Raiders aren't on the same level of an Alabama or a Clemson, but they are a respectable squad that gives opposing defensive coordinators headaches.
TTU is always one of the most explosive offensive teams in the country, and last season was no exception.
The Red Raiders were fourth in offensive yards last season and averaged over 45 points per game. Those are straight-up frightening numbers for opposing defenses.
For Texas Tech, it all starts with junior quarterback Patrick Mahomes II, who accounted for six touchdowns in the Red Raiders' win last week.
Mahomes is an accurate passer with an extremely strong arm and possesses escapability in the pocket as well as downfield running abilities.
In short, he's going to be a menace on the football field against ASU and containing his electric skills should be of the utmost importance for the Sun Devils.
The Sun Devils will have a tough task containing Mahomes, and if their defense is ineffective then the Red Raiders will march up and down the field without a problem.
However, TTU did lose some key playmakers from last season, including do-it-all receiver Jakeem Grant and running back DeAndre Washington, both of whom are now in the NFL.
Moreover, the Red Raiders' defense is simply abysmal. Texas Tech statistically had the second worst defense in college football and was awful against defending the rush.
This means that ASU can lean on its strong running game with junior running backs Demario Richard and Kalen Ballage. Expect designed quarterback run plays for Wilkins as well.
Running the ball against Texas Tech can work well in two ways for ASU, because they would take advantage of one of the Red Raiders' weaknesses and also chew time off the clock, and in doing so keep the Texas Tech offense off the field.
Also, expect the Sun Devils to ease quarterback Manny Wilkins into the game, since it's only his second start.
No matter what either of these defenses do, it will be a high scoring game in Tempe on Saturday night. Mahomes is a fringe Heisman candidate and Richard and Ballage will pick up their fair share of yards. The question will be which team can make the least mistakes, because every possession counts in a shootout.
But if ASU can get the victory, it will be huge for the team's self-esteem.
Any team can say that they are ready to play, but when you're a team like ASU and you did not live up to expectations last year, everyone wants to know how you will bounce back.
A nationally-televised game at Sun Devil Stadium against a quality out-of-conference team like Texas Tech is the perfect opportunity for ASU to get the metaphorical monkey off its back and regain some of the momentum their program built in the past.
Reach the columnist at mpharri7@asu.edu or follow @Harris_Mark7 on Twitter.
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