Sun Devils must win to keep fans feeling good
Sep 16, 2011, 10:35 PM | Updated: 11:36 pm
The Arizona State Sun Devils are 2-0, coming off a win over a ranked Missouri team.
Players, coaches and fans are feeling pretty good — as they should — but all the fun times would quickly end with a loss Saturday to Illinois.
“All the good you did in beating Missouri, I think goes out the window if you lose to Illinois,” Arizona Sports 620’s John Gambadoro said. “Illinois is a decent team, they’re not a great team. If you want to go where ASU wants to go, you have to be able to beat a team like Illinois on the road.”
True, this game is important for the purposes of perception, but win or lose it won’t have any affect on the team’s Pac-12 title chances. That is a point Arizona Sports 620’s Dave Burns made, though he noted this game is important on an emotional level.
“All those credits that you got last week against Missouri are gone if you lose this game,” he said.
Maybe, maybe not. A 2-1 start would not be the end of the world for the Sun Devils, and losing this game would not end their season by any stretch.
That said, a team that fancies itself a BCS contender cannot afford to lose games, especially to unranked teams.
