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After a run to the playoffs in 2024, Arizona State football comes into the 2025 season ranked 11th in the preseason AP Top 25 rankings. The Sun Devils are one of the top teams in the Big 12 this season. This is still a deep league, with multiple teams vying for the top spot. If the team wants to improve on its ranking by the end of the season, making the playoffs is a must, and that could require winning the conference.
It was a magical run for Kenny Dillingham in his second season as the head coach of Arizona State. They were selected to finish last in the conference in 2024 during the preseason Big 12 media poll. They would do the exact opposite of that. After starting 2-0, the team would fall to Texas Tech on the road. Still, they would defeat Kansas and then upset a ranked Utah team before falling on the road to Cincinnati. From there, the team went on a roll. They would win their last five games and clinch a spot in the Big 12 title game. After defeating Iowa State 45-19, they would earn a birth in the College Football Playoff.
Ranked as the four-seed, the Sun Devils took on Texas in the playoffs, but would lose the game in double overtime, seeing their season end. The team would finish the season ranked seventh in the AP Top 25 in 2024. Now the question is, are Dillingham and his squad set up for a letdown in 2025, or another run at glory?
Will the offense be productive?
Much of the story of the Sun Devil offense in 2024 surrounded Cam Skattebo. After transferring from Sacramento State, he would become the primary starting running back in 2024 for the team. Then, he would run for 1,711 yards with 21 touchdowns while adding 605 receiving yards and three scores. He would finish fifth in Heisman voting, while breaking the record for rushing yards in a season at the school. He was also a major factor in the playoffs, coming away with 271 total yards, including 42 passing yards and a passing touchdown in the Peach Bowl against Texas, earning game MVP honors despite the loss. The loss of not only a major production piece, but one of the leaders on the team is major. Skattebo would be a fourth-round pick of the New York Giants, and the Sun Devils need to replace his production.
Dillingham and the team will do just that. The production for the offense, minus their former running back, is there. The team ranks second in the nation in overall returning production, while coming back with 78 percent of their offensive production and 79 percent on defense, according to Bill Connelly of ESPN. The returning production on offense starts with star quarterback Sam Leavitt, one of the top passers in the Big 12.
He was a solid passer in 2024. Leavitt passed for 2,885 yards with 24 touchdowns, while having just six interceptions. Further, he was sacked just 19 times in 14 games, being protected well. He was sacked more than twice, just two times, with one of those games being against Texas in the Peach Bowl. Moreover, he ran for 443 yards with five scores.
Not only does the productive passer return, but four of his five starting offensive linemen come back from 2024 as well. This gives continuity up front and will protect Leavitt well. Further, two of his top weapons are also making a comeback this season. Jordan Tyson returns at wide receiver. In 2024, he hauled in 75 receptions for 1,101 yards and ten scores. Leavitt will also line up with tight end Chamon Metayer again this year. He scored five times in 2024, while bringing in 306 yards receiving. While the offense will look different, they have new backs who are capable and should be in a solid position.
The defense should be the story of the Sun Devils
While the story of the Sun Devils last year was their running game, the defense was solid. The defense ranked third in the Big 12 in opponent points per game. Further, they were the number one team in the conference against the run. The team returns ten of its 11 starters from their playoff run last season. Prince Dorbah was hurt throughout the 2024 season after a solid year in 2023 and is expected to be full strength. Further, they return Clayton Smith, who led the team in sacks.
The interior of the defensive line is also solid. CJ Fite is a top-end pass rusher and tough against the run, while My'Keil Gardner comes in from Oregon and should add to the rotation. Meanwhile, the linebacking core and secondary are both solid. Keyshaun Elliott can make plays in the backfield while also dropping into coverage at linebacker.
The secondary also returns all four starters, including Myler Roswer and Xavion Alford, who led the team in tackles. They bring in Kendrich Breedlove from Purdue, who was a bright spot for the Boilermakers. He will play the nickel for the team, while adding the ability to create some impactful turnovers.
Arizona State wins the Big 12 again
Arizona State leads the conference in returning production, and returns a defense that was already one of the best in the Big 12. Still, they are not the outright favorite to win the conference. The current odds at the time of writing provided by FanDuel have them in a four-way tie as the favorite with Kansas State, Utah, and Texas Tech.
The schedule is manageable, though. The non-conference features three winnable games. Meanwhile, they will host Texas Tech. The team does have to go on the road to face Baylor, Utah, and Iowa State, but this conference also provides the luxury of dropping a game and still making it to the conference title game. With Leavitt at quarterback and the other major contenders having major questions, Arizona State will make another run at a conference title.
In 2024, four of the five teams that won their conference and appeared in the College Football Playoff were ranked inside the top ten in the final AP Top 25. The lone exception is SMU. Meanwhile, all eight teams to play in the quarterfinals also received a top ten ranking. When Arizona State wins the Big 12 again, there is a high likelihood that they will reach the quarterfinals, which will ensure them a ranking higher than 11th.
