After a putrid loss to Colorado, ASU football dropped to 5-2 on the season and is possibly out of the chase for winning the Pac-12 South.
And while Sun Devil fans should not be happy that their team lost, they should be overjoyed that their team somehow made its way to a 5-2 record to begin with.
To put it simply, ASU is lucky to be 5-2, because its actual play on the field does not always reflect its record.
First off, the Sun Devils do not have a quality win on their schedule so far. Coming into the season, fans thought that games against Texas Tech and UCLA would be great chances to pick up quality wins.
Well, unfortunately for ASU, those teams have not been up to par in their other games.
Texas Tech currently sits at 3-3. The Red Raiders' defense is still atrocious and their only win over a Power-5 conference foe is against an awful team in Kansas.
UCLA has a talented roster, but tough breaks and injuries have derailed them to also have a 3-3 start. Moreover, when the Bruins played in Tempe, their star sophomore quarterback Josh Rosen was injured for large chunks of the game — although he still managed to throw for 400 yards in limited action.
If Rosen had played the entire game, then ASU probably would have lost, so basically the Sun Devils beat a marginal team whose star quarterback was injured for most of the game.
Because of the talent disparity in college football, not every win is equal. So ASU's 5-2 record seems impressive on the surface, but none of the teams they previously played have done well. If ASU had beaten a better opponent — a ranked team for example — then its 5-2 record would have more substance.
Another reason to look past the record is that, when the Sun Devils lose, they get blown out and, when it's close, they win.
In both of ASU's losses, the game was over by halftime. Spoiler alert: the Sun Devils were not ahead. The two teams that beat ASU, USC and Colorado, both put up at least 40 points on the scoreboard. They both also suffocated the Sun Devil offense.
Good college football teams can lose games. That's just the way it is. But good teams don't consistently get blown out when they lose. Not all losses are the same, and a close loss at least implies that the team showed up to play — unlike both of ASU's losses.
And while the Sun Devils have won this season, it hasn't always looked good. In games against lower tier opponents like NAU and UTSA, they got off to slow starts.
Moreover, the defense has not been consistent and in some spots it's been terrible. The passing defense is the worst in the country.
Opposing receivers are still running wide open, the defenders still miss routine tackles and the opposing quarterback still torch ASU on a weekly basis.
Honestly, I'm surprised that a 5-2 team has the worst passing defense in the country. It really doesn't make sense.
And what's worse is that there is no improvement from 2015. One would think that if a team is statistically last in a category, they would have nowhere to go but up.
Well, through seven games of the season, the Sun Devils' passing defense has shown no improvements — they've just stayed idle at the bottom.
ASU's 5-2 record is a mirage. The team hasn't beaten anyone good, they've gotten whacked by the only two decent teams they've faced and they still allow the most passing yards in the country.
Does that sound like a good team to you?
To me it sounds like an OK team, because to their credit, they've found unconventional ways to win.
But it's not a sustainable strategy.
Washington State is coming to town on Saturday night. The Cougars are favored to win at Sun Devil Stadium, so it looks like the folks in Las Vegas don't buy into ASU's 5-2 record either.
Washington State coach Mike Leach apparently wants an investigation launched against Arizona State for sign-stealing. pic.twitter.com/E6DgZuk3XE
— Campus Insiders (@CampusInsiders) October 19, 2016
WSU coach Mike Leach has accused Todd Graham of stealing signs, but even if Graham is stealing signs, the Cougars' offense should still be able to find open space based on the way ASU's defense has played.
The Sun Devils have a perfect opportunity to prove me wrong. If they can beat WSU and limit their "air raid" offense, then they will show improvement with their first quality win of the season.
Reach the columnist at mpharri7@asu.edu or follow @Harris_Mark7 on Twitter.
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