Analyst: Arizona State Paces Big 12 Power Rankings

An 11 win season has set up the Arizona State football program for many more victories both now and in the future.

National recruiting has improved for the Sun Devils - namely in Texas, while player and coach retention have been successful on a large scale.

Many of those factors have made the program the presumed favorites to repeat as Big 12 champions in their second season as a member - although it will never be officially known, as coaches and Athletic Directors decided to not move forward with the poll prior to Media Days.

In the spirit of Media Days being held earlier in the week, USA Today's Paul Myerberg ranked all 16 teams in the conference - and the Sun Devils came out on top, as expected.

More on the reasoning behind Arizona State receiving the top spot below:

1. Arizona State

"There are 17 returning starters, including a rising star in quarterback Sam Leavitt, and some major momentum after last year’s explosive growth under coach Kenny Dillingham. But there is one huge loss in running back Cam Skattebo, who carried the Sun Devils for much of his final season. How they replace that production will go a long way toward determining whether the Sun Devils can repeat."

The Sun Devils were followed by Kansas State, Baylor, Iowa State, and Utah.

All four teams pose different challenges, but also potentially hold more limitations.

Kansas State is typically within the top five of the conference in the modern age of college football, but Avery Johnson needs to take a step forward as a passer to feel confident in the Wildcats.

Baylor's offense can hang with any other team in the conference, but the defense remains a question mark in certain places.

Matt Campbell has consistently built competitive Cyclone teams, but the losses of Jayden Higgins and Jalin Noel pose concerns for the offense.

Utah still has questions around the skill positions despite holding both a great offensive line and defense under Kyle Whittingham.

The moral of the story - the Sun Devils are the favorites to win the Big 12 until proven otherwise.

Read more on Sun Devils that are being represented on the All-Big 12 Preseason Team here, and on Leavitt's NIL valuation heading into the new season here.

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