The Dennis Erickson era at Arizona State began with high hopes as he was a national championship coach at Miami-FL and had great success in previous Pac-10 stops at Washington State and later Oregon State. Erickson took previous coach Dirk Koetter’s recruits to a 10-3 season in 2007 college football predictions but has overseen a program that has regressed badly under his watch with a 5-7 mark in 2008 and then a 4-8 season in 2009. To the frustration of college football betting handicappers, the Sun Devils have finished in the red in each of Erickson’s seasons on the job. Arizona State has opened at online sportsbooks with a longshot price of 100-1 in 2011 BCS odds to win the national championship and are 14-1 selections to win the Pac-10 conference.

With just 4 starters back on offense and 5 on defense heading into 2010 college football predictions, it looks like another long season in Tempe and one in which Erickson may really begin to feel the desert heat. The offense was decimated by graduations as all top performers from last year are gone. Junior quarterback Steven Threet is expected to be the starter and saw no action last year. The unit averaged just 22 points per game last season which was 10 points below the average of Erickson’s first season on the job.

The defense has been steadily consistent during Erickson’s tenure and allowed a respectable 21-points per game in college football odds last year. Arizona State has been a terrible play as a road underdog with just 9 payouts in their last 33 games in that role. They are near certain to be road dogs at Wisconsin, Oregon State, Washington, California, and USC this year and perhaps even at arch rival Arizona for the season finale. A bowl berth with a 6-6 mark could be about the most optimistic hope for ASU.