Pac-12 Football: Midseason report cards for every Pac-12 team

Sep 18, 2015; Tempe, AZ, USA; The Arizona State Sun Devils take the field to start the game against the New Mexico Lobos at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Arizona State Sun Devils

This is a team head coach Todd Graham said would compete for national title all summer long. They ended up getting squashed by Texas A&M, embarrassed on national stage, while struggling against opponents including New Mexico on Cal Poly.

They got waxed at home vs USC, but might have saved their season with a big win at UCLA, keeping them in contention for the Pac-12 South. They played a close game with Utah, and despite having three losses on the season, are still in play for a top spot in the Pac-12.

Mike Bercovici was dubbed as a dark horse Heisman contender for the Sun Devils, and he hasn’t quite lived up to the expectations. Losing all-american Jaelen Strong to the NFL, and moving DJ Foster out of his running back role definitely set back the offense just a bit, causing lots of frustration on the offensive end.

The defense is by far the bright spot of this team, with a strong core of linebackers and Jordan Simone leading the secondary. The blitz heavy defense has been causing havoc this season, and definitely gave Josh Rosen and Travis Wilson some trouble.

They might not have a great shot at winning the Pac-12 South, which is disappointing considering that they were picked to finish second in the Pac-12 South. But Arizona State can still come out and prove a lot in the tail end of the season.

Overall Grade: B-

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