Top 25 in 25: Arizona State Football Season Preview

Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

We’re counting down the final 25 days before the college football season by previewing every one of our preseason top 25 teams! With 13 days left until week zero, we continue our previews with my No. 13 team in the country – the Arizona State Sun Devils.

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Projected Record: 10-2 (7-2)

Ceiling/Floor: 11-1/8-4

Projected Wins: Northern Arizona, Mississippi State, Texas State, TCU, Utah, Texas Tech, Houston, West Virginia, Colorado, Arizona

Projected Losses: Baylor, Iowa State

Most Intriguing Game: Texas Tech (Week 8)

Arizona State took the college football world by storm last season, going 10-2, winning the Big 12 championship and making the playoff after being picked dead-last in the Big 12 preseason poll. They were so surprisingly good in 2024 that the Big 12 did away with its preseason media poll, starting this year. The Sun Devils are losing their All-American running back in Cam Skattebo, but return more starters than any other power conference team from a year ago, likely making them the safest bet to win the chaotic Big 12 in head coach Kenny Dillingham’s third season.

Offensively, Dillingham’s squad returns maybe the best quarterback in the conference in Sam Leavitt. By the end of 2024, Leavitt was one of the best QB’s in America and absolutely balled out in their Big 12 championship victory and overtime playoff loss to Texas. But Skattebo was so good in the run game, that we’ll have to see how good Leavitt performs when defenses can scheme more for the pass game. Leavitt will still have one of the best receivers in the country to throw to though in Jordyn Tyson, and good protection up front with four returners on the offensive line. The RB room post-Skattebo will likely be the weakness of the offense in 2025.

Most of the attention both last year and heading into this year has been on the offense, but ASU’s defense is flying heavily under the radar. According to the SNAP Model, the defense actually ranked higher (19th) than the offense (23rd) to finish last season, and the unit returns nine of its 11 starters. It’s not out of the questions that the Sun Devils could have a top 10 defense in the country in 2025.

I think Dillingham’s squad will take a minor step back from last year offensively, at least at the beginning of the season, but I think they’ll be right back in contention again to win the Big 12 title and make the playoff. They’ll have to win at least one tough road game against either Baylor, Iowa State or Utah though.

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