Analysts Have High Hopes for Sun Devils in 2025

It appears as if every facet of the Arizona State offseason has been marked with the same question. The question inherently ties into the same goal at hand.

The most frequently presented question has been if the Sun Devils will make it back to the College Football Playoff in 2025 as an encore for a historic 11-win season in 2024.

Those buying stock in Arizona State believe the returning high-end talent, coaching staff/roster continuity, and Kenny Dillingham being in charge of the entire operation are all strong omens for the 2025 season.

Skeptics point to the loss of Cam Skattebo, the rise of conference foes such as Texas Tech, and the string of tight Sun Devil victories in 2024 as reasons why the program will regress this season.

ESPN college football analysts Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach are both sticking with the former - in a prediction that the Sun Devils will repeat as Big 12 champions and thus represent the conference in the CFP yet again. Both also have the same projected opponent in store for Arizona State.

Schlabach: No. 11 Arizona State at No. 6 Alabama

Bonagura: No. 10 Arizona State at No. 7 Alabama

For starters, Schlabach and Bonagura both believe that Arizona State will be a road team in this scenario - for reference, the Sun Devils would not be assured a top-four seed or a chance to host a first-round game even with a conference title.

The pair likely believes that they will once again be a two-loss conference champion, thus leading them to the lower portion of the seeding hierarchy. Both believe that the Big 12 will only have one representative as well.

Alabama would be an undeniable test for Dillingham and company. The Crimson Tide is coming off a disappointing season under Kalen DeBoer, but returns a defense that has the potential to be among the best in the nation.

Despite that, the Sun Devils possess SEC-level speed and physicality at their core - this potential duel would be a must-watch for college football fans everywhere.

Read ASU on SI's exclusive interview with Tyson here, and on where Sam Leavitt lands on the NIL merchandise sales leaderboard here.