1987. 1997.
Question: Why are these two years so important to ASU football?
Answer: These are the only two years our Sun Devils have played in the Granddaddy of them all — the Rose Bowl. In the recent past there haven’t been many seasons where the Sun Devils could say they had a legitimate chance of getting back to Pasadena.
This year is one of those years.
With the new conference alignment and the exclusion of powerhouse USC from a spot in any bowl game, the pieces are slowly falling into place for the Sun Devils, who return 17 starters from a team that finished strong last year.
Of course, the season could crumble and we could be stuck with mediocrity, but I just don't see it happening.
So when Thursday comes around and ASU opens its potentially historic season against UC Davis, remember that these expectations don't fall upon us often.
As a lifetime Sun Devils fan and frequent attendee of football games, hopefully everyone can try and match my excitement for this football year as well as the distinct possibility of a new addition to their ring of bowl appearances at Sun Devil Stadium: Rose Bowl '11
