Can Arizona State football contend in the Pac-12 in 2022?

The Sun Devils’ 2022 schedule will make things incredibly difficult

The good news is that despite a lot of turnover in the coaching ranks and on the field, Arizona State football might still have enough firepower to match their 8-5 record from 2021.

The bad news is that they face a much more demanding schedule this season, including an early season matchup at Oklahoma State before having to run through the gauntlet that is the Pac-12. Against teams like USC, Arizona, and UCLA, all of whom have improved since last season.

The Sun Devils could see improvement but still fall short due to the sheer firepower of the Pac-12.

• Game 1: Northern Arizona (W) – Herm Edwards might be on the hot seat but he won’t feel his feet to the fire until later on. ASU should get an easy win here.
• Game 2: Oklahoma State (L) – Drawing the Cowboys in week two could catch the Sun Devils off guard. Expect Arizona State to fall in a tight one.
• Game 3: Eastern Michigan (W) – Luckily, the program should find an easy rebound here on the road against Eastern Michigan. Before things start to get nasty.
• Game 4: Utah (L) – A road game against last year’s Pac-12 champions sees the Sun Devils fall early to a conference foe.
• Game 5: USC (L) – USC feels like a team that could soar high or fall flat on their face, regardless, should be an easy win against ASU.
• Game 6: Washington (L) – Three losing weeks in a row would be tough to swallow, unfortunately, it feels inevitable with this slate. Expect another loss here.
• Game 7: Stanford (W) – Stanford might be in an even worse state than ASU, so, they could edge out a win on the road.
• Game 8: Colorado (W) – Back-to-back road games might have you thinking of a loss here, but Colorado feels like a team that will struggle in 2022. I suspect the Sun Devils could get consecutive wins.
• Game 9: UCLA (L) – The Bruins feel to be on the opposite trajectory, and should cruise past Arizona State this late in the season.
• Game 10: Washington State (L) – This one’s a bit of a toss-up, but a late-season road game against the Cougars could be what closes the curtains on Herm Edwards time at ASU.
• Game 11: Oregon State (L) – At this point, the season’s over for the Sun Devils and the Beavers seem to be on the up and up.
• Game 12: Arizona (W) – If Arizona State has anything left to fight for this late in the season, it’s dignity. Hopefully, they can pull out one last win against their main rival.

Prediction: 5-7 (3-6 Pac-12)

With all of the distractions brought on by the NCAA investigation and the myriad of coaching changes/player transfers, this could be a make-or-break year for Herm Edwards.

Unfortunately, while the Sun Devils might have all the pieces to put up quality wins, their schedule hasn’t done them any favors. I’d be genuinely shocked if they finished above .500 this season.