Redshirt senior quarterback Taylor Kelly gives a thumbs up to the ASU sideline in a home game against Notre Dame on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2014. ASU won against Notre Dame 55-31. (Photo by Alexis Macklin)When Todd Graham was first introduced as ASU’s head coach in December 2011, he had high aspirations.
“We're going to win Pac-12 championships; we are going to win Rose Bowl championships and ultimately, the national championship,” he said that day.
At the time, it seemed like his goals were far-fetched for a program that has never consistently competed at a high level since leaving the WAC in the 1970s. If he wins just two more games this season, it’ll be the first time since 1972-73 that the program has won double-digit games in back-to-back seasons.
Graham hasn’t achieved any of those lofty goals yet, but he’s close to doing so in 2014.
No. 6 ASU is in the driver’s seat to appear in the Pac-12 title game for a second consecutive season, and if it wins out, ASU will almost certainly appear in the first college football playoff.
Perhaps that’s thinking too far ahead. Even if the Sun Devils don’t end up in the playoff, Graham has already far exceeded outsiders’ expectations for this season (nine new defensive starters) and from when he was hired (Sporting News graded the hire a ‘C’, while Sports Illustrated gave it a ‘D’). It’s different to be talking playoff possibilities in mid-November rather than bowl eligibility.
Along the way to being a national coach of the year candidate in his third year, Graham has taken ASU to new heights and shredded old narratives about the program. Here’s a recap.
Narrative: ASU was the least disciplined football team under previous head coach Dennis Erickson, ranking last in the country in penalty yards per game in 2011.
Reality: In each of his three seasons, the Sun Devils ranked in the top 10 in the nation in fewest penalty yards per game (eighth, seventh and eighth according to NCAA numbers).
Narrative: ASU faltered in close games, such as one-point losses to Wisconsin (2010) and UCLA (2011). From 2008-11, the Sun Devils were 3-13 in games decided by a touchdown or less.
Reality: ASU has found a way to win tight games. Graham is 6-3 in one possession games, including the thrilling “Jael Mary” victory and the overtime win against Utah.
Narrative: ASU can’t win in California, evidenced by the team’s 2-21 mark from 2000-11 against UCLA, USC, Stanford and California on the road.
Reality: It’s a small sample size, because these games only take place a maximum of twice a year, but Graham is already 3-2 against those schools away from Tempe.
Narrative: ASU collapses in “big” games, low-lighted by faceplants against Stanford twice in 2013 and on Thursday games against Oregon (2012) and UCLA (2014).
Reality: As big as those games seemed at the time, none were in the top-five most-watched games in the Graham era, according to TV ratings from sports media watch.
Additionally, under Graham, ASU is 7-6 against AP-ranked opponents. In the prior 13 seasons, ASU was 5-41 in these games, according to the team’s sports information department.
Even before the Sun Devils throttled Notre Dame on Saturday, I didn’t subscribe to the big game choke theory. That notion should have been buried when ASU defeated No. 14 UCLA on the road last year to clinch the Pac-12 South.
Going back to the narrative, everybody struggles to defeat elite competition — that’s why they’re the leaders. Entering this season, only six coaches had winning records against foes ranked in the AP poll at the time of game with their current school (minimum: 10 games). You can imagine how much worse it’d be by reducing the Top 25 into the Top 10 or Top 15.
Graham is also 2-0 against rival UA. That game may not have national implications (although it may have them this year), but it’s the one game circled on the calendar regardless of the season or situation.
Reach the columnist at jmjanss1@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @jjanssen11
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