ASU football not lacking in confidence

"As much as everybody wants us to go to the Rose Bowl, I've been to California. I haven't been to New Orleans yet," Robinson said.

After all, the Sun Devils were coming off of a 6-6 season, and hadn't played in a BCS-caliber bowl game since their loss to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl in 1997.

That led to the firing of Dennis Erickson and the hiring of Todd Graham, who has freely thrown around terms like "high-octane" and "speaking victory" when talking about how the program will operate.

Apparently Graham has his fingerprints all over the program, as Doug and Wolf pointed out Tuesday on Arizona Sports 620.

So much so, that even the sweet-voiced secretary who answers the phone when you call the ASU football office is in on the enthusiasm.

"Sun Devil football, home of the future Rose Bowl champions, this is Annie, how can I help you?" is what greets callers via telephone.

On one hand, it's this type of top-to-bottom culture change that is desperately needed surrounding Arizona State football. It has been a program that routinely ends up in the category of "sleeping giant" when discussed by national media, and quite frankly, one winning season in the last five years isn't acceptable to anyone close to the program.

To achieve something, you need to believe it. There's no doubt Todd Graham believes ASU is destined for great things.

On the other hand, some might have that typical eye- rolling response to this kind of confidence. The Sun Devils have won the Rose Bowl once in 34 seasons of eligibility.

Only time will tell if this organization-wide belief in success pays off, or if it's just the language of a new coach who's saying what everyone wants to hear.