"A win's a win," Mike Bercovici quipped to open up his post-game press conference. For a program that preaches being "1-0" in everything they do, the only win they got tonight was on the scoreboard.

And yes ultimately that's all that matters, if you look at a game for its value in and of itself.

But going "1-0" against the Cal Poly's of the world isn't Todd Graham's vision for this program.

Graham spent all summer calling this his best team; he wants to compete for championships, heck he wants to win them.

Those aspirations are great but at a certain point we have to see that team, through two games we haven't.

Against A&M some of it made sense, the environment was ridiculous, Christian Kirk was transcendent and their pass rush lived up to its billing as the nation's best.

For three quarters thanks to an outstanding defensive effort, ASU matched one of the most talented teams in the country punch for punch.

Sure the game's coda was embarrassing, but it was more about what A&M did than what ASU didn't.

Tonight's 35-21 victory over the FCS level Mustangs, was all about what the Sun Devils didn't do.

ASU couldn't stop the Mustangs triple option attack from gashing them for 284 yards; they couldn't finish in the red zone and ultimately couldn't dominate a match up they absolutely should of.

The triple option is one of the great equalizers in college football; if you can get two or three elite skill guys and can chop block effectively (a technique Antonio Longino in particular hated and Todd Graham mused about abolishing) you have a chance to run against anyone.

Yet the talent gap between the two teams was such that it shouldn't have been an issue. There were plays where it shown through, there were plays Laiu Moeakiola knifed into the backfield and blew up runs before they even got started, there were plays the defensive line flat out bullied the smaller Mustangs.

But there were even more plays when those undersized offensive linemen won.

An ASU front seven that dominated a more talent A&M unit just a week ago struggled to contain the Mustangs backfield duo of Joe Protheroe and Jared Mohammed who combined for 225 yards on 39 carries.

They gashed the heart of the ASU defense and had just as much success going outside consistently beating one of the deepest groups of linebackers in the country to the perimeter.

The Sun Devils knew what was coming and they simply couldn't stop it.

For the second consecutive week the bigger concerns were on the offensive end.

An eight yard completion to Devin Lucien early in the third quarter left ASU on the Cal Poly 1-yard line with a chance to take a seven-point lead.

Two straight carries to Demario Richard left the Maroon and Gold one yard further away from pay dirt then when they started. You're kidding yourselves if you don't think the gaggle of former five stars on USC's d-line won't be licking their chops watching that tape.

Third down Kody Kohl failed to reign in a Bercovici fast ball that left ASU with a fourth and goal from the two.

Bercovici ran to the sideline, convinced Graham to give him a chance, and through a pick trying to hit the same route to Devin Lucien that Mike Norvell had already called three times in that particular trip to the red zone.

Fast forward to the opening drive of the fourth for ASU, five plays and 71 yards left the Sun Devils on the Cal Poly nine.

Richard two yards forward, Bercovici three yards back, incompletion to Kody Kohl.

Wash, dry, repeat.

This time Graham called on Lou Groza candidate Zane Gonzalez from 28 yards out; hooked it.

Let's do the math; eight plays, two yards lost, zero points scored.

It'd be negligent to say there weren't positives. ASU all but shut down second team All-Big Sky Quarterback Chris Brown, holding him to a meager 25 yards on 15 carries.

Tim White brought a much needed element of explosiveness to an offense that had just two plays over 20 yards, catching a 19 yard pass and then topping it off with a 59 yard dash to the red zone to set up the Sun Devils final score.

Those positives matter, just like Arizona State winning the game matters, it's just not enough for a team that wants to win a championship.

This team isn't going to slow down Cody Kessler and the Trojans, this team isn't going to walk into LA and leave the Rose Bowl with a win, they're not going to sweep Utah, Oregon, and that school down south.

On paper ASU's playoff hopes are still very much alive.

Barring unforeseen circumstances a one loss Pac-12 will be playoff bound, but that's not going to be a descriptor that applies to ASU if they don't turn into a drastically different team over the next two weeks.

But tonight a win wasn't a win.