More photos » Don Ryan - AP

8 months ago: Portland State coach Nigel Burton addresses the media during a news conference where he was introduced as the new head football coach Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2009, in Portland, Ore. Burton, who was the defensive coordinator at Nevada, replaces Jerry Glanville, who resigned last month after going 9-24 over three seasons at Portland State. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)

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The Pac-10 has a pretty tough opening weekend, all in all.

UCLA heads to Manhattan to play Kansas State, Washington rolls into Provo to take on BYU, Wazzu visits Stillwater to play Oklahoma State, and Oregon State plays a de facto road game against TCU in Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.

USC and Arizona also take to the road for their opening game, traveling to play Hawai'i and Toledo, respectively. California, Oregon, and Stanford all stay home to play weak competition.

But Arizona State's season opener takes the cake: the Portland State Vikings.

Lets break down some vital statistics about Portland State.

College Football Subdivision: FCS

Conference: Big Sky

2009 Record: 2-9 (1-7)

Student Body Population (Undergraduate): 20,330 (per The Princeton Review)

When San Jose State backed out of their game with us last year, ASU was left in a bind: scheduling an opponent on extremely short notice. I imagine that all avenues were explored, but we were left with the FCS.

The issue here is not that Portland State is a bad team. The problem is that they offer nothing to Arizona State in terms of experience, difficulty, or room for improvement.

Any quarterback on this team, be it Steven Threet, Brock Osweiler, and Samson Szakacsy, could and will tear apart this defense, which gave up 41 points to Idaho State (a team we beat last season to the tune of 50-3).

The Sun Devils answer nothing by playing this team. Dismantling two straight FCS teams (NAU comes to town on September 11) before heading into Camp Randall to play Wisconsin does little to prepare the players for the huge jump in talent.

In the offseason, there were rumors of ASU picking up a big game against South Florida or Cincinnati. This didn't come to fruition, and as a result the fans and players suffer. It's difficult to figure out exactly why the negotiations fell apart, but the Sun Devils could have used another marquee game to bring the right kind of publicity to the team.

In the end, AD Lisa Love was forced to fill the schedule opening to pick up an easy victory for the program. As a result, ASU must win 5 out of their last 10 games in order to be bowl-eligible, and it would be a very impressive season for coach Erickson if he were able to pull that off.

While I hope this game against Portland State is the first of many victories for the Sun Devils in 2010, it's hard to get excited for a game that already has a predetermined outcome. With the 2011 schedule featuring two quality opponents (Missouri, at Illinois), it is my sincere desire that this situation never repeats itself - but lets get out there and cheer the Devils on anyway. See you on Saturday.

More photos » Charles Krupa - AP

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As the NFL preseason winds down, let’s take a look at where all your favorite Sun Devils, young and old, stand.  There are currently 24 Sun Devils in the NFL. Here is a look at those currently on an AFC team.

Josh Barrett, New England Patriots – Barrett was claimed off of waivers by the Patriots on August 6 after being waived/injured with the Broncos. Had he cleared waivers he would’ve gone to the Broncos IR list. He doesn’t look to be much of a factor with the Patriots as he is limited by a shoulder injury. Barrett played in 14 games in 2009 recording 10 tackles. 

Todd Heap, Baltimore Ravens – Todd Heap has been a staple at TE for the Ravens. Heap is approaching 5,000 receiving yards and currently has 36 TD’s in the NFL.

Terrell Suggs, Baltimore Ravens – Suggs has helped anchor the feared Ravens defense alongside Ray Lewis. Currently in his 8^th NFL season, Suggs has proven to be one of the all-time most successful Sun Devils in the NFL. With 57 career sacks, T-Suggs has intimidated many QB’s throughout his career.

Paul Fanika, Cleveland Browns – Paul Fanika was originally drafted by the Eagles, played on their practice squad for 10 weeks before being signed to the Redskins active squad. He signed with the Browns in June 2010. 

Shawn Lauvao, Cleveland Browns – Lauvao was a third round pick by the Browns this year and enters his rookie season. He started in one preseason game on the OL.  You can follow his rookie blog here.

Troy Nolan, Houston Texans – Nolan spent his first year on the IR with the Texans.  He was drafted by the Texans in 2009 and signed a 4-yr contract. He is the 2^nd string FS sitting behind Eugene Wilson. It looks like a healthy Nolan will garner some playing time this year, whether it be in mop-up duty or special teams.

Mike Pollak, Indianapolis Colts – Pollak was a 2^nd round draft pick in 2008 by the Colts. He started 13 games as a rookie and 7 games in his 2^nd year.  He looks to continue starting this year at RG.

 Travis Goethel, Oakland Raiders – Travis was a 6^th round pick in this year’s draft and fits right in with the Raiders. Goethel sits 3^rd on the depth chart at MLB and most likely won’t contribute much this year.

Zach Miller, Oakland Raiders – Zach Miller is entering his 4^th season with the Raiders.  He has been one of the few consistencies of the Raiders offense and looks to benefit from a new starting QB in Jason Campbell. He has 7 career Touchdowns and just over 2000 yards.

Brandon Rodd, Oakland Raiders – Rodd is the backup RG for the Raiders and has yet to see any playing time in a regular season game. 

Mike Nixon, San Diego Padres…errr Chargers – Ex baseball player Mike Nixon signed with the Chargers after going undrafted. He is buried on the depth chart, but looks to get some minutes playing special teams. Nixon is a high IQ player with football intelligence and is a good fit for the Chargers.

Hey everyone, we're taking part in the 2010 BlogPoll. Every week, I'll rank the top 25 and send them over. The final results will be tabulated and posted, and for full transparency you'll be able to judge my every vote.

Feel free to heckle my picks, but lets be honest: there's no real rhyme or reason to anything in the first week of the season.

More photos » John Amis - AP

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Ah, the finest time of year. College football is back! September is well known as the month of delusion: fans around the country will beat themselves into a joyful state of mind when their team starts out 3-0 against Akron, San Jose State and Western Michigan.

As for Sun Devils fans? We know the situation is tense down on Frank Kush Field. The football team is not expected to do very well, being a consensus ninth place finisher in the Pac-10 this season.

ASU supporters need only point to the 2009-2010 Sun Devil mens basketball team if they want a sense of hope for the football season. Herb Sendek and the team were looked down upon before the year, but they came out, won 22 games and earned a lot of respect for their work ethic.

Can the football team pull a similar feat? It's not unheard of, as USC will not dominate the Pac and Oregon lost their star QB in the offseason. It would surely take a gargantuan effort to go from the stale team of 2009 to an exciting, winning team in 2010.

I'll be breaking down Portland State sometime this week, although no one expects them to put up much of a fight on Saturday.

Here are some links for your perusal:

Sun Devils report (8.26.10): Quality at quarterback

ASU Sun Devils football season breakdown
What's to like and not like about the Sun Devils and other keys for 2010.

ASU mock football game report
Haller: ASU worked on its kicking game and ran 11-on-11 (no tackling) in certain game situations.

ASU football's William Sutton, Anthony Jones ruled ineligible
ASU's defensive depth took a hit Friday when it learned that William Sutton and Anthony Jones were ruled ineligible for the season due to academics.

ASU's Karin Volpe displays knack for game-winning goals
Karin Volpe comes up big for Arizona State soccer with 10 game-winners out of 20 total goals.

More photos » Tom Strattman - AP

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After playing Friday's mock scrimmage with the first-team offense, it appears that Dennis' starting QB announcement on Monday is leaning towards Steven Threet. 

The vagabond QB may have finally found his place in college football in his second-to-final season of eligibility. Threet started out at Georgia Tech, but lasted just one season before deciding to transfer to the Michigan Wolverines.  

Threet looked like he had gained control of the starting job as Wolverine QB, but he got off to a shaky 2-7 start and was replaced by Nick Sheridan.  

After the 2008-2009 season, Threet decided to shed his snow boots and winter coats for some flip flops and board shorts as he found his way to Tempe. ASU was a good fit for Threet as it gave him a chance to learn the offense while sitting out due to the transfer, and enter his senior season as the most experienced QB on the roster.  

While Threet most likely picked up the ASU offense (if that is what you call it) in 2009, he has been forced to quickly erase it from memory and relearn new OC Noel Mazzonne's offense.  

So far, neither Threet nor Osweiler have pulled ahead as a clear-cut choice, but Threet's big game experience may have proven to be the edge he needed to win the spot.  

Kind of a slow day for ASU, but you all deserve some coverage.

Old Spice Guy Wins Emmy: Former ASU Football Player Isaiah Mustafa Strikes Comedic Gold - Desert Dirt - SB Nation Arizona
The former ASU wideout has gained international fame with his charm and good looks in the Old Spice ads recently seen on television. Now, he's won an Emmy.

2010 Sun Devil Football Kickoff Luncheon and Pep Rally Scheduled for August 27 - ARIZONA STATE OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE
Pep rally? Totally rad!

ASU football party to include Brewer, McCain, Mitchell
A celebration to kickoff the ASU Sun Devil football season will include three high-profile candidates.

Erickson: Sun Devils Will Name Starting Quarterback Monday - SB Nation Arizona

The wind outside shook the overhead lights inside the ASU indoor practice facility as Steven Threet edged a little closer to winning the Sun Devils' starting quarterback job.

Sun Devils report (8.24.10): Offense picking up pace

While a storm was brewing outside on Tuesday evening, Brock Osweiler and the ASU offense were kicking up some dust themselves during practice.

With gameday just a few short weeks away, and everyones attention turned towards who is going to be taking snaps on opening night, let's take a look at how the Sun Devil football team makes a difference in the community.  

Here is a short video on how the Sun Devils have adopted 3 year old Kyle Oden as one of their own. 

Click here to watch the video

More photos » Rick Bowmer - AP

9 months ago: Arizona State's quarterback Brock Osweiler passes against Oregon in the first quarter during their NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

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Here we are, two weeks away from the opening game against the venerable Portland State Vikings, and the quarterback situation is still difficult to understand.

Brock Osweiler, the sophomore out of Kalispell, Montana, came on strong at the start of camp and was the early favorite to start on September 4. In the past few weeks, Michigan transfer Steven Threet has shown a lot and is getting a long look from the coaching staff.

Samson Szakacsy's injury-prone elbow has played him out of any serious talks to be the starter.

In the grand scheme of things, a quarterback competition is a good thing. Two equal players unable to stand out from one another, fighting every day to be the top dog.

Sadly, this is not a fight of Goliaths. We are faced with mediocrity at the quarterback position, and the inability for either signalcaller to step up is disconcerting.

Lets take a look at what others are saying about this:

Jess Root at SB Nation Arizona thinks the entire situation is deja vu. Root ponders what could have been: Max Hall starting at ASU after Sam Keller graduated, in an alternate universe where our football team is good. 

Doug Haller writes that the evaluation of the quarterback position (among many others) will take place at today's scrimmage.

In the end, I wouldn't be surprised to see Threet under center against Portland State, but Osweiler has the edge in terms of being Erickson's own recruit. The decision needs to be made soon so the team can get past the drama and focus on planning for the Vikings.