As ASU prepares for a matchup with Notre Dame this weekend, the national spotlight has settled on the Valley, and it’s time for the Sun Devils to step up.
The ASU football team is currently 3-1 and is ranked 22nd in the current AP Top 25 poll.
Coming off a dominant victory over USC at home, the Sun Devils are riding high and are one of the top teams in the Pac-12 South.
Despite a setback against Stanford in their third game, primetime wins against Wisconsin and USC at home have the Sun Devils in prime position to surprise a lot of people around the country this season.
But their biggest test comes this week against Notre Dame. The spotlight is shining on coach Todd Graham’s unit as they head to Dallas this weekend to take on the Fighting Irish, a team that played in the National Championship a year ago.
2013 has not been kind to the Irish, as they currently sit outside the Top 25 with a 3-2 record. Both losses, including one last week against Oklahoma, have come against ranked teams.
In terms of on-field talent, Notre Dame is not the best team ASU has faced this season. That honor undoubtedly goes to Stanford, which sits as the fifth-best team in the nation.
But in terms of national pedigree, Notre Dame still holds a slight edge. Last year's run to the National Championship Game last year put the Irish back in the spotlight, and though they have struggled this year, the country will always pay attention to the team wearing navy and gold.
And now the Sun Devils have a chance to really cement their place among the elite teams in college football by taking down one of its pinnacle organizations.
Critics have called into question the legitimacy of ASU’s victory over Wisconsin, arguing that it took a confusing play at the end of regulation to preserve the win for the Sun Devils.
Arguments have been raised that the reason behind ASU’s success this season can more be attributed to their competition than its own skill.
The season-opening victory over Sacramento State was unarguably the traditional “cupcake” game that most every college team plays to start their season.
ASU’s victory over last weekend over USC came at a time where the Trojans were in a state of turmoil, as evidenced by the fact that their head coach Lane Kiffin lost his job shortly after the game went final.
ASU’s one game against an elite program this season saw the Stanford Cardinal run up a big first half lead on the Sun Devils that ASU was able to chip into in the second half.
Should the Sun Devils topple Notre Dame on the road this weekend, there will be those who still claim it is not a headlining victory given the Irish’s current struggles.
But there comes a point when victories against big name programs, regardless of how they are playing, start to mean something.
No team in college football history has ever beaten USC and Notre Dame in back-to-back weeks. Thirteen teams have tried, and ASU has the chance to become the first.
ASU was not intimidated by the visiting Badgers earlier this season. They did not bat an eyelash when the Trojans came into town. Those teams had a combined 5-1 record entering Tempe and the Sun Devils put them down.
They simply buckled down, played the game their way and came away with victories.
Doing the same against Notre Dame in a game that will be broadcast nationwide on NBC will prove, at least to me, that ASU should be respected and feared this season.
And it should convince you, too.
The Sun Devils have the 11th most passing yards this season among FBS Division I teams, they are sixth in the nation in passing yards per game and, having averaged just over 44 points a game thus far, the team is 11th in the country in points per game.
This ASU offense is the real deal. Second-year starting quarterback Taylor Kelly has made the most of his litany of weapons, including redshirt sophomore receiver Jaelen Strong and senior running back Marion Grice.
Defensively, the team has struggled against strong running games, but has seven sacks and six interceptions in four games.
This game will be the time for them to show the country that they are for real – that their offense can be elite and that their defense can hold up against even the best programs in college football.
There's only one way to prove the Sun Devils mean business. And that's to beat Notre Dame.
Reach the columnist at icbeck@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @ICBeck21
