There is no doubt that an undefeated start through the first four games of a college football season is a very good way to open a year, but what sort of results has that sort of beginning historically provided for Arizona State?
In all, prior to the 2016 season, ASU had 16 seasons that began with a 4-0 start, with the first occurring in a four-game 1904 season and the most recent coming in 2007.
Across those 16 seasons, ASU has a collective record of 147-21-2, or a winning percentage of .875 that translates to 11.4 wins over a 13-game span. Also, in a season that included 11 or more games (nine of the 16 overall 4-0 starts), the Sun Devils have never won fewer than nine games in a single season and in those seasons ASU has a 95-12 overall record or an actual yearly average of 10.6 wins and an adjusted win average of 11.5 wins if calculated over a 13-game season.
Also included in the 16 seasons with 4-0 starts are nine of the 13 years with 10 or more wins and all five seasons that resulted in 11 or 12 wins (1970, ’71, ’73, ’75 and ’96). In terms of national rankings, in each of the eight seasons since 1970 that began with a 4-0 start, ASU finished in the top-20 in the final AP Poll, with six finishing in the top-10. Lastly, in eight of the 16 seasons, ASU either won or earned a split of its conference title (1939, ’57, ’59, ’70, ’71, ’75, ’96, ’07), essentially telling us that ASU history statistically indicates a 4-0 start gives the Sun Devils a 50/50 chance at a conference championship.
Helping ASU’s cause for the final two-thirds of the schedule is the general lack of difficulty as only two teams left on the Sun Devils schedule are currently ranked (Utah, Washington). Should those two end up the only ranked squads ASU faces in the 2016 regular season, that would mark the latest point in the season that the Sun Devils have faced their first ranked opponent since entering the Pac-10 in 1978, with the exceptions of 1983 and ’99 when the Devils did not play any ranked teams all year.
2007
Opening Win Streak: 8
Final Record: 10-3
Bowl Game: Holiday (Texas)
Highlights: In Dennis Erickson’s first season at ASU, the Sun Devils reeled off a series of wins – many of which in comeback fashion – reaching as high as No. 6 in the AP Poll. Though the Sun Devils dropped three of their final five games including the Holiday Bowl to Texas, ASU claimed a split of the Pac-10 title with USC.
2004
Opening Win Streak: 5
Final Record: 9-3
Bowl Game: Sun (Purdue)
Highlights: One of the more surprising seasons in recent ASU history, the Sun Devils went from not receiving a single vote in the preseason AP Poll to a final ranking of No. 19 in that very same poll. Included in the first four wins were victories against UTEP and Northwestern before one of the biggest wins of the Dirk Koetter regime when ASU took down No. 12 Iowa, followed by a victory over Oregon State. The Sun Devils went on to claim their first bowl victory since 1997 by defeating Purdue in the Sun Bowl.
1996
Opening Win Streak: 11
Final Record: 11-1
Bowl Game: Rose (Ohio State)
Highlights: The most memorable team in Arizona State history, the 1996 Sun Devils clinched their second Pac-10 Conference championship and Rose Bowl appearance and came within about 90 seconds of a national title before suffering a heartbreaking loss to Ohio State. This unforgettable squad was guided by All-Americans such as QB Jake Plummer, OL Juan Roque, DE Derrick Rodgers, WR Keith Poole and RB Terry Battle as well as the incomparable Pat Tillman at linebacker. Included in the first four games for the Devils in 1996 were a last second victory over Washington to start and a blowout win over North Texas before the historic 19-0 shutout of top-ranked Nebraska. ASU continued their winning ways with a 48-27 takedown of Oregon and went the remainder of the regular season with a spotless record.
1982
Opening Win Streak: Nine
Final Record: 10-2
Bowl Game: Fiesta (Oklahoma)
Highlights: On the heels of the nation’s top defense, ASU ripped off nine straight victories and appeared in its first and only Fiesta Bowl since joining the Pac-10 conference, gaining a victory over No. 12 Oklahoma. Guided by All-Americans such as DL Jim Jeffcoat, LB Vernon Maxwell and S Mike Richardson, the Sun Devils ended ranked No. 6 by the Associated Press.
1975
Opening Win Streak: 12
Final Record: 12-0
Bowl Game: Fiesta (Nebraska)
Highlights: The greatest season in Sun Devil history in terms of wins and national ranking, ASU’s unforgettable Fiesta Bowl win over Nebraska enabled the Devils to finish second in the nation in both the AP and Coaches Polls. The historic undefeated team included some of the most talented players in Arizona State history such as CB Mike Haynes, WR John Jefferson, LB Larry Gordon, S John Harris and HB Freddie Williams and helped propel the Devils into the Pac-10 Conference three years later.
1973
Opening Win Streak: 7
Final Record: 11-1
Bowl Game: Fiesta (Pittsburgh)
Highlights: The final season for a group of legendary Sun Devils including QB Danny White and RB Woody Green, White set school records with 2,878 passing yards and 24 touchdowns while Green surpassed the 1,300-yard rushing mark for the third straight year, enabling both players to graduate as the school’s all-time leaders in their respective categories. Both Green and White were First-Team All-Americans and guided ASU to its fourth straight 10-win season and third consecutive Fiesta Bowl win and a No. 9 final ranking in the AP Poll.
1971
Opening Win Streak: 4
Final Record: 11-1
Bowl Game: Fiesta (Florida State)
Highlights: The Sun Devils continued the momentum of the previous year’s undefeated team as first-year players such as QB Danny White and RB Woody Green guided ASU to four straight wins to start the season and 11 in total including a victory in the inaugural Fiesta Bowl. Six Sun Devils earned First-Team All-WAC honors including Green and ASU finished ranked as high as sixth in the Coaches Poll.
1970
Opening Win Streak: 11
Final Record: 11-0
Bowl Game: Peach (North Carolina)
Highlights: After ASU’s first Western Athletic Conference championship the previous year, the Sun Devils made the 1970 season one of the most memorable in program history. ASU set a school record for wins in a season (11) while reaching a bowl game for the first time since in 20 years. QB Joe Spagnola was named WAC Offensive Player of the Year, while WR J.D. Hill was a First-Team All-American. The Sun Devils finished ranked sixth in the final AP Poll, a placing that has only since been bested three times.
1964
Opening Win Streak: 4
Final Record: 8-2
Bowl Game: None
Highlights: Behind the record-setting passing duo of quarterback John Torok and receiver Ben Hawkins, ASU began the season with four straight wins before a loss to Utah. The Sun Devils then won four more in a row before a season-ending loss at Arizona.
1960
Opening Win Streak: 5
Final Record: 7-3
Bowl Game: None
Highlights: For the second straight season, Frank Kush guided ASU to at least four wins to start the year before the Devils dropped three of their final five.
1959
Opening Win Streak:
Final Record:
Bowl Game: None
Highlights: After a 7-3 record in his first season as head coach, Frank Kush followed with a 10-1 campaign and his first Border Conference championship in 1959. Three Sun Devils earned First-Team All-Border Conference honors including halfback Nolan Jones.
1957
Opening Win Streak: 10
Final Record: 10-0
Bowl Game: None
Highlights: In Hall of Fame coach Dan Devine’s final season at Arizona State, the Sun Devils enjoyed their best in program history and first double-digit win total. The Devils outscored opponents by an average of 39.7 to 6.6 points behind the dynamic rushing duo of Bobby Mulgado and Leon Burton that combined for more than 2,300 yards from scrimmage. Arizona State finished No. 12 in both the AP and Coaches Polls, the first time the Sun Devils finished a season in the national rankings.
1956
Opening Win Streak: 7
Final Record: 9-1
Bowl Game: None
Highlights: Devine’s second of three seasons coaching the Sun Devils, Arizona State College tied the program high for wins in a season, matching the nine victories in 1950. Paced by players such as ASU Sports Hall of Famer Bobby Mulgado in the backfield, included in the 9-1 record is the school’s first shutout of rival Arizona as the Sun Devils took down the Wildcats by a score of 20-0 in Tempe.
1939
Opening Win Streak: 6
Final Record: 8-2-1
Bowl Game: Sun
Highlights: An historic team for the institution then known as Arizona State Teachers College as the Bulldogs saw postseason action for the first time in program history. The Border Conference champion team included eventual ASU Sports Hall of Fame inductees in its backfield in halfback Hascall Henshaw and fullback Wayne “Ripper” Pitts. The Bulldogs played in the sixth Sun Bowl – now the second-oldest bowl game – that ended in a scoreless tie against Catholic University.
1924
Opening Win Streak: 6
Final Record: 6-1-1
Bowl Game: None
Highlights: Under second-year coach Aaron McCreary, Tempe Normal opened with six straight wins before a loss and a tie to end the season.
1904
Opening Win Streak: Four
Final Record: 4-0
Bowl Game: None
Highlights: In the sixth season of football at the school, head coach Fred Irish guided Tempe Normal to two wins over Phoenix High School and two over the Phoenix Indians without allowing a point all year.
