Arizona State's schedule is considered to be one of the toughest in the nation in 2013. Each week, we'll take a look at how ASU's future opponents do on the gridiron. Now, onto week one action!
Sacramento State: Lost to San Jose State, 24-0. We know SJSU is a pretty solid team, but Sacramento State struggled to get anything going all game long despite dominating ball possession (36:08 of game time). The Hornets struggled on 3rd down (8 for 21) and had a miserable time in the running game, averaging 2.2 yards per carry. The Sun Devils should not have trouble with these guys.
Wisconsin: Defeated UMass, 45-0. The ground and pound offense did the job against Massachusetts -- 44 carries, 393 yards, four touchdowns. Wisky has one more easy tuneup against Tennessee Tech before they head to Tempe and face their toughest test yet.
Stanford: Like ASU, Stanford had a bye week to open the season. They begin their 2013 campaign on September 7 against SJSU in Palo Alto.
USC: Defeated Hawaii, 30-13. Neither Cody Kessler nor Max Wittek were particularly impressive in the season opener, but USC's superior talent on both sides of the ball took care of business against the Warriors in Honolulu. The development of their quarterbacks is the most important issue for the Trojans, and the lack of a clear #1 starter at this juncture is a bad sign for Lane Kiffin.
Notre Dame: Defeated Temple, 28-6. The Fighting Irish got off to a great start with senior quarterback Tommy Rees under center. Rees threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns, easing the minds of Notre Dame fans who are still reeling from the loss of dynamic playmaker Everett Golson in the offseason. They face a much stiffer test next weekend, heading into Ann Arbor to play Michigan.
Colorado: Defeated Colorado State, 41-27. Junior quarterback Connor Wood had an impressive start, throwing for 400 yards and three touchdowns. The Buffaloes were focused on the passing game, unable to find a consistent footing on the ground. CU ran 81 offensive plays and were dominant in ball possession, but gave up too many penalties (8 for 68 yards). Wide receiver Paul Richardson was the real star, catching ten passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns from Wood.
Washington: Defeated Boise State, 38-6. This was a shocking development on Saturday evening, as Keith Price and the Huskies held Joe Southwick and the Broncos without a touchdown in the grand reopening of Husky Stadium in Seattle. Bishop Sankey was particularly impressive, rushing 25 times for 161 yards and two touchdowns, picking up where he left off from his phenomenal sophomore campaign. Could 2013 be Steve Sarkisian's coming out party in the Pacific Northwest?
Washington State: Lost to Auburn, 31-24. The Cougars put up a spirited fight in SEC territory but were unable to overcome Connor Halliday's three interceptions. Wazzu does not look like an easy win, however -- Mike Leach has quickly put together a reasonably talented team in Pullman.
Utah: Defeated Utah State, 30-26. The win was a great one for the Utes, but they lost Kenneth Scott to a serious leg injury for the rest of the season. Losing Scott is a big blow to Utah, a team that was counting on the junior to produce at a high level. The Utes play Weber State, Oregon State and BYU before a tough game against UCLA in Salt Lake City.
Oregon State: Lost to Eastern Washington, 49-46. The Beavers joined the lengthy list of teams to lose to FCS opponents in week one (UConn, Kansas State, SDSU, South Florida, Iowa State, Georgia State, South Alabama), but OSU was the only ranked team to suffer that fate. EWU quarterback Vernon Adams torched the Beavs for 411 yards in the air and 107 on the ground, scoring six touchdowns in the process. It's hard to see Oregon State putting together a great season after such a loss, but don't count out Sean Mannion and Brandin Cooks just yet.
UCLA: Defeated Nevada, 58-20. The Bruins showed off their depth and talent on Saturday night, scoring 41 points in the second half behind Brett Hundley's all-around performance. Jordon James made his debut as the feature back and picked up 155 yards on the ground. UCLA looks good and will be Arizona State's main competition in the Pac-12 South this year.
Arizona: Defeated Northern Arizona, 35-0. It wasn't pretty, but Arizona kept NAU off the board despite a lackluster defensive performance. Arizona only needed to attempt 13 passes all game, sticking to a simple running attack against the Lumberjacks, who simply could not match up physically with the Wildcats. Next up for UA is a road game in Las Vegas against UNLV, who were not competitive against Minnesota in their season opener.
Total Opponent's Record: 8-3 (72.7%)