In Graham We Trust

Column by Nick Prete, ASU News

At the beginning of the season, everyone was excited about Todd Graham coming ASU. Everyone was excited about the season. Rose bowl, national championship, and Pac-12 champions, were all things uttered amongst the Sun Devil fan base. With a few little losses however, everything has changed.

You are a part of the Sun Devil nation your whole life! Getting bummed out and hopping off the bandwagon after a few losses is pointless! Take a look at the bigger picture. We still have a lot of games we can, and need to win. To get to a bowl game, to help the recruiting class… etc. If we create an awesome atmosphere here at the stadium, where we fill up the stadium every game, and make it loud every play the opponent has the ball that will draw in the top recruits, and make our team better and better. But if we go to less and less games when we lose, you create a negative feedback circle. YOU can make the change. If you want us to get better, fill up the stands! That starts the positive feedback. If the stands are full, we get better recruits. If we get better recruits, the team gets better. If the team gets better, we get more people there. On and on and on. Every person helps. Every part of the puzzle. If you were a recruit, would you rather go to a school where the kids don’t really care about the games, the stands are kind of full after half time and only a few people wear the team colors on Fridays? Or would you rather go to a school overflowing with school spirit, the stands are packed for every game and it looks like a sea of gold on Fridays and Saturdays? Obviously the second.

As a Sun Devil Nation, we have to know that this low is only temporary. There’s a lot of season left so people need to stop acting like it’s over. Turn the negativity around and let’s rally! Look at your expectations first off, everyone had some really high hopes that may have been a little unrealistic. You can’t turn a losing team into a championship team in one-season folks. To even get to a bowl game with a new team coach is a high goal. As of 2011, only 7 first-year head coaches led their teams to a BCS bowl game in its 14-year history. We’re still sitting at a very impressive 5-3 with at least 4 games to go. Plus, we still have one of our most important games of the season to play against U of A.

This season isn’t done people! Not even close.  Bowl games, recruits, and wins. We can get 'em all. But we need you.  If you don’t care about the Sun Devil nation, then fine. Sit at home. Do your homework. Contribute to the University in some other way. But if you care about the football team at all then support it! Fill the stands. Stand with Graham. Bleed maroon and gold. Be a Sun Devil.