Morgan: The stage has been set: Bring on Georgia

The shrimp cocktail was great last week. The arugula salad was fine Saturday night. But enough of these palate teasers. There's a hungry mob in Tempe. It's time to explore the taste and flavor of dog. Bulldog, that is.

ASU takes down Stanford, 41-17

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SLIDESHOW: ASU vs. Stanford football

No slight to next week's opponent, Nevada-Las Vegas, but Arizona State's 41-17 win over Stanford on Saturday removed the last real obstacle to a showdown with the nation's No. 2 team two weeks from now.

You know it, I know it and the ASU student section knew it as it held up dozens of "Bring on Georgia" signs early in the fourth quarter.

Turns out, the Cardinal weren't nearly as dangerous as we thought.

Part of that was due to a strong Sun Devil defensive effort, highlighted by three interceptions.

More of it was due to Stanford's pass defense, which was as bad as we thought.

ASU quarterback Rudy Carpenter was efficient and intelligent for a second straight week, completing 27 of 36 passes for 345 yards and three touchdowns.

More importantly, he stayed upright most of the night, avoiding a repeat of last year's Stanford game, in which he was sacked five times in the first half.

"Overall, we played well," coach Dennis Erickson said. "First game at home. First league game. You gotta get a win."

ASU did.

Now it's time to chase that signature win that has so far eluded Erickson in Tempe (sorry, in hindsight, Cal doesn't count).

Oh, you won't hear that kind of talk from the Devils just yet.

ASU will be prepared to dispatch the Rebels, even if it doesn't come in the prettiest of fashion.

"Since the beginning of the season, Coach Erickson has been preaching one day, one game at a time," Carpenter said.

"We gotta get that next one before anything else."

But if you don't think the Devils have been building for a potential watershed in two weeks, consider this: On ASU's media day in early August, several ASU coaches and players were huddled in a darkened room, watching film of the Bulldogs.

Coincidence? Maybe. But there's nothing wrong with dangling some treats out in front of the dogs, so long as they also stay focused on the immediate tasks.

That hasn't been a problem under Erickson. Fifteen games into his tenure at ASU, Erickson has shown repeatedly that his teams will take care of business against lesser foes. That's a strong bullet point on a coaching résumé, and something that didn't always occur under Dirk Koetter.

ASU has beaten every team it was supposed to over the past two seasons. Stanford was the latest and UNLV will follow.

Then it's on to the real tests.

We all know the vitals on that upcoming, brutal four-game stretch of the schedule.

After the Bulldogs come Cal, USC and Oregon.

But to wax Buddhist for a moment, the waterfall begins with a single drop.

Let the Devils worry about the Pac-10 later.

For now, Georgia is on their minds.