And not necessarily because I'm thinking that there's going to be a larger than expected number of ASU fans making the trip, but now you have the "Georgia factor."

Needless to say, there are a plethora of Bulldog fans living in the Atlanta metropolitan area and rooting for the team that has already beaten Texas twice this year. So, I have no doubt in my mind that none of those Georgia fans attending the game on Wednesday are going to suddenly cheer for Texas. The Longhorns came into the SEC with seemingly some arrogance that did not sit well with the Georgia fans and probably other SEC fan bases, for that matter. So, to see Texas get upset in their own backyard is something that's going to put a huge smile on every Georgia fan's face.

One aspect that is probably not discussed much is whether Georgia wants to meet Texas in the national championship final and then try to beat them three times in the same season. No matter how confident a Bulldog fan you are, you probably know that it may be very hard to accomplish, even though, so far, you have proven to be Texas's kryptonite.

Not saying that the larger than expected fan support ASU is going to get in the Peach Bowl is going to be the one aspect that's going to tilt the scales in the Sun Devils' favor but it's interesting storyline of this game, nonetheless.

It is true that the documentary project about the team didn't end up happening, BUT ASU did stand by all of their NIL obligations and all you need to know is what Jayden Quaintance's dad said here:


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Everything I'm seeing this morning is that the targeting non-call at the end of the game in regulation yesterday was not the right call...

The question being posed today is...if that wasn't targeting then what the heck is..??

Was the fix in by those in power that wanted Texas in the Final Four..??

At least the media isn't shying away from it today even if most say such euphemistic things as the "refs missed the call" which I'll add is pretty hard to do when you have it on replay from multiple angles...

Texas survived with a little help from their friends it looks like to me today...Go Devils!!!

That's the title of an article in the Daily Star this morning written by Justin Spears...

A one time Wildcats fan having grown up in Marana, he walked-on at ASU under Herm Edwards and now has finished his six years at ASU under Kenny Dillingham...

He wants to stay at ASU as a coach, hopefully, since being at ASU has been a "blessing" for him, as has being a player under Dilly, who makes things fun for players, while keeping high standards that have led to some incredible results in the past two years...

Dilly's passion, high energy and innovative approach to coaching have been contagious, as he wants to be the best at everything he does, including leading his hometown Sun Devils to high accomplishments...

Dilly is big on his team having the most fun while working harder than anyone else to reach high goals...

He also takes care of his players outside of the practicing facilities that promotes a caring atmosphere that is appreciated by the players as a team...

He would love to stay at ASU in some coaching role moving forward...

For me, he is the epitome of the type of player Dilly and ASU want to be in their program where the team comes first...

Hopefully, Dilly will find a role for him within his Sun Devil football program moving forward but, in any event, Trenton will find his way into the coaching ranks somewhere, where he will undoubtedly be very successful, IMHO...

We have been very fortunate to have had a player like TB be a part of the program's re-building process...

Go Devils!!!

ESPN came out with an article about Vanderbilt's QB Diego Pavia who sued the NCAA over his denial of an extra year of eligibility. The Court issued a temporary injunction against the NCAA from keeping him from playing one more season until the case is tried or settled. In effect this ruling (at least temporarily) means that JUCO player could not have his time at the JUCO count against his FBS/FCS eligibility. Will be interesting to see how this turns out. Theoretically, it could mean that at some point in the future, a player could go the JUCO route then transfer with all four years of eligibility remaining. Just the latest blow to the NCAA and how toothless they've become in enforcing their own rules.

Here's the Story Right Here

Tyson's return now has the Sun Devils set to return 15 starters from their 11-win 2024 season

Karma…..

Mornin Mates...

Today's Topic = 2025 Questions

Will the pundits get it wrong again in this new year regarding where our Sun Devils will land in football next season..??

They picked us last in the Big-12 this past year and will not pick us last this next season, but will they overcompensate, IMHO, and pick us as the best team in the conference in the preseason this year..??

Granted that we have a dynamic and talented QB returning but is that any guarantee that will translate into another conference championship next season..??

My intuition tells me that the over/under for our Devils next season should probably be around 7.5 and not something like 9.5 or thereabouts given the parity within the rest of the Big-12...

I don't think that we can compensate for the loss of Skattebo that easily, although we do have some good. solid RBs in the stable but no Triple Crown winners, either, in my estimation...

It's nice to get Tyson back but what about the other receivers at this point..??

We can ask the same sorts of questions about almost any other position on the team and what about special teams that many, including myself, think is the biggest weakness on the team, and who knows if this will be significantly improved or not by next season...

Dilly is now being considered a Rock Star coach at the age of 34 and he certainly appeared to bring about one miracle after another this season but wasn't Scott Frost, who is back at UCF, also once considered a "rock star" after going undefeated in his second season at UCF, before going to Nebraska, where he was run out of town after several years of futility there...

Of course, Dilly isn't going off to a place like Nebraska and is staying in the Big-12, where there aren't any elite teams like they have in the B1G and SEC...

It looks like he can excel in the Big-12 but maybe not so much in the B1G and/or the SEC, if he ever went to either of those conferences, unless it was someplace like Ohio St or Georgia, etc...

So, can the Devils sustain their newfound success moving forward in the Big-12 or not..??

It doesn't appear that is going to happen at Colorado, where Prime Time turned that program around, with his son at QB, but is now looking elsewhere, it appears, since his coaching fame is at its high point and may be taking a nose dive at CU, if he stays the course there...

And, who thinks teams that failed badly this past season like Oklahoma St are going to continue to be that awful in 2025...

Not me, that's for sure...

That said, Dilly is a savvy New Age college football coach who also brings a lot of moxie to the coaching table, so maybe he will be able to maintain a highly successful program at ASU...

Especially since the transition to a revenue sharing cap will be in place sometime within the next several months for all of the P-4 conferences, as a result of the NCAA settlement agreement...

Of course, the transfer portal and NIL dollars will still be out there as flies in the settlement ointment to borrow from an old cliche...

So, in closing is a 7.5 over/under about right for our Sun Devils this next season based on what we now have returning compared to what other conference teams have returning..??

I like that we have seven home games this next season, along with a NFL prospect at QB and a lot of returning two-deep players, but don't know if that will be nearly good enough to win another 10 or 11 games in 2025...

But, I could easily live with 8 or 9 wins, that's for sure...

Now, if we had the overall pro-level talent of say Ohio St, ND, Texas or Penn St, achieving another 10+ wins would seem to be pretty realistic to me...

But, I like swimming and competing in a much smaller Big-12 pond, as swimming and competing in an ocean full of large sharks is a whole different deal entirely...

G'day Mates and Go Devils!!!

I made a comment in another thread about Dillingham and his staff being able to evaluate talent. I am going out on a limb here with more history

I grew up with West Texas State football in the 1960's and '70's. WT and ASC were in the old Border Conference together. WT had a coach Joe Kerbel, and ASC had a coach Frank Kush. For some reason, they hated each other (another story, for another day). But Kerbel, could evaluate talent. One of his best early recruits was Pistol Pete Pedro, maybe the best, certainly the fastest running back I ever saw. Bill Cosby might have coined his phrase, "stop on a dime, give you nine cents change" from Pete. In the late 60's, Kerbel recruited Duane Thomas, Mercury Morris, Rocky Thompson (three first round draft picks in a row), Ralph Anderson (Pittsburg Steelers), Ray Brown (Atlanta Falcons), and others. Not to mention, Jerry Don Logan (Baltomore Colts), and Jerry Richardson (Los Angeles Rams).

What's my point? Not since Kerbel and Kush, have I seen better evaluators of talent than I see in Dilly and staff. Maybe it is my maroon and gold glasses.

The media is making a big deal out Sam’s comments about wanting to prove he is the best QB. Getting a lot of play social media, even our local media stirring it up. Bad news to have bulletin board material.