The ASU football team travels to Pasadena, Calif., this weekend to take on the No. 14 UCLA Bruins in a game that could clinch ASU’s spot in the Pac-12 championship game.
As the season draws to an end, ASU fans have legitimate aspirations for a berth in the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1997.
But this isn’t the time to get ahead of ourselves. The Rose Bowl, if it’s in the cards for the Sun Devils, is at least two very difficult wins from becoming a reality.
If ASU beats UCLA on the road this weekend, it will seal its place in the Pac-12 Championship.
That game will pit them against the winner of the Pac 12 North division, likely Oregon or Stanford, both of which are ranked in the BCS Top 10.
While the Rose Bowl is a tantalizing idea for this team, it is still very far off and there are still hurdles to clear before that possibility becomes a reality.
So ASU must keep its focus on the gridiron, not the implications this game will have off of it. UCLA poses a very difficult challenge for ASU. Winners of three games in a row, the Bruins will be one of the best teams — if not the best team — the Sun Devils have played all season.
Coming off two games in which they didn’t play to their full potential, the Sun Devils head into Pasadena needing to break out of their rut if they want to have a hope at upending the Bruins.
The distractions will be there for ASU as it heads on the road to play in the stadium that will play host to the Rose Bowl in January.
If it wins this game and come out on top in the conference title game, it will return to the same field to (most likely) play the Big Ten conference champion.
The smell of roses will assuredly be in the air and the thought of a BSC bowl game will undoubtedly be in the back of the Sun Devils’ minds as they match up with the Bruins.
Already, local and national writers are talking about ASU being worthy and capable of heading to the Rose Bowl. Arizona Republic columnist Paola Boivin wrote after ASU’s victory over Oregon State last weekend that the Rose Bowl seems possible for this team.
While I don’t disagree with her, Boivin’s column illustrates a big problem.
We shouldn’t be worried about the Rose Bowl. Not yet at least.
Whether or not playing in that game is a possibility for this team is largely irrelevant at this point in the season because there are still three extremely difficult games ahead.
Kyle Kensing, a featured columnist for Bleacher Report, started the Rose Bowl speculation a week ago after ASU squeaked by Utah 20-19.
While his article talked a lot about the matchup against UCLA game, he didn’t touch on the conference title game much, as if this game against the Bruins is ASU’s chance to clinch a spot in the Rose Bowl.
That’s just not the case. As close as the Rose Bowl seems, it is still a long way off.
If ASU does pull out a win on the road against UCLA, the Sun Devils will still have to go toe-to-toe with either Oregon or Stanford in the title game. Oregon has only lost once all season and Stanford has already beaten ASU in 2013.
Don’t get me wrong, I am as excited as the next guy for the chance to see ASU playing in Pasadena twice this season. I want to see this team in the Rose Bowl as much as everyone else.
But I don’t want us to get distracted by the allure of a BCS Bowl game when we still have a long way to go before we get there.
Beating UCLA is up first on the docket. These two teams are pretty evenly matched but have been trending in opposite directions in the last few weeks.
ASU has struggled offensively in its last two outings, while the emergence two-way player Myles Jack has sparked a fire in UCLA’s offense.
Shaking off the rust will be key for ASU. UCLA hasn’t lost at home this season and if the Bruins get ahead early, it could be difficult for the Sun Devils to come back.
But victory this weekend does not necessarily equal a Rose Bowl berth.
So the Sun Devils need to enter this game with their minds clear of the postseason. Just win this next game then worry about the conference championship game. Only then can roses be on their minds.
Reach the columnist at icbeck@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @ICBeck21
