Mike Bercovici ranks atop ESPN’s breakout players list for 2015

Expectations are higher than ever in Tempe as we begin the first game week of the 2015 college football season for the Arizona State Sun Devils.

The last two seasons saw Todd Graham’s team come up just short from having a truly special season, losing in the Pac-12 championship game to Stanford in 2013, while falling to Arizona in the Territorial Cup last season to miss out on playing in the Fiesta Bowl.

This year, the expectation in Tempe is to go the distance, not just in the PAC-12, but on a national stage as well.

ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit picked the Sun Devils to be among the four teams playing in the college football playoffs this season. The ESPN analyst picked ASU to beat Stanford in the Pac-12 title game.

For the Sun Devils to meet or exceed those expectations, they will need excellent play from their quarterback.

That is where Mike Bercovici comes in.

The fifth-year senior enters the season as the starting quarterback for the first time in his career, which has him a player ready to come out of the shadows.

ESPN college football analyst Travis Haney has Bercovici as number one on his top breakout players list for the 2015 season, saying that ASU may have actually blown a big opportunity last season with the quarterback.

His coach and others in the Pac-12 recognize Bercovici as an increasing anomaly in college football: He’s the fifth-year senior quarterback who waited and waited — and waited — for his turn, following three-year starter Taylor Kelly.

“Oh yeah, he could have left. A lot of guys in his position would have transferred,” Sun Devils coach Todd Graham told me. “But if he did, he would have missed being in one of the most iconic moments in school history — and he would’ve missed the opportunity that’s in front of him now.”

The moment was the Hail Mary to defeat USC last fall, with Kelly sidelined. Bercovici also led ASU to a win against Stanford in Kelly’s absence. But Graham remained loyal to Kelly and sent Bercovici back to the bullpen, even though coaches in the league wondered whether that was the right move.

“I know who I thought was playing better,” one of those Pac-12 coaches said.

Now there’s no question whose job it is, and the “opportunity” that Graham referred to is there for the seizing.

At a shade over 6 feet tall, it’s not as if Bercovici has prototypical size. Graham, however, said NFL teams are very interested in his QB because of his deceptive arm power, accuracy — and smarts.

Kelly won a number of academic awards, and Graham said Bercovici is poised to do the same.

With outstanding skill around him, such as utility man D.J. Foster and running back Demario Richard, Bercovici is in line for a season worth waiting for. Seeing Arizona State in the playoff hunt and its quarterback in the Heisman conversation wouldn’t be at all surprising.

Bercovici finished the 2014 season throwing for 1,445 yards and 12 touchdowns, while starting three games.

The six-foot-two quarterback set a school record for most yards by a quarterback making his first start with 488 yards against UCLA. He also became the first player in history to throw for five touchdowns against USC with his 510 passing yards, the second highest total against the Trojans.

If the team captain can live up to the lofty expectations that many have for the quarterback, then who knows, a Heisman trophy could be within reach for the quarterback.