Arizona State cornerback Joseph Brown Jr. (22), left, defends wide receiver Zechariah sample (87) during football practice at Kajikawa practice fields in Tempe on Aug. 1, 2025. Cheryl Evans/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Arizona State Consistently Viewed As Top 25 Team

Originally posted on Arizona State Sun Devils on SI
By Kevin Hicks | Last updated Aug 5, 2025 10:00 AM ET

Arizona State was widely viewed as one of the worst teams in Power Four football at this time last year. The Sun Devils were still seen as years away from being able to field consistently great teams under Kenny Dillingham for numerous reasons.

All expectations were subverted during the course of the 2024 season - one in which the team won 11 games and nearly secured a victory in the College Football Playoff.

The subverted expectations a year ago have served as a springboard into 2025 - media members seem to be in unison when it comes to viewing the Sun Devils as a top 25 squad after the program was ranked 11th in the coaches poll on Monday.

A general look at where some influential media members stand when it comes to Arizona State heading into the stretch run of the offseason:

Brandon Marcello, CBS Sports: 16

Brett McMurphy, ON3: 20

Joel Klatt, Fox: 18

.@bmarcello’s Preseason Top 30 is here

Who do y’all think should be higher? pic.twitter.com/4xQCP6xeFo
— CBS Sports College Football (@CBSSportsCFB) August 4, 2025

The Sun Devils are frequently being ranked in the vicinity of Big 12 rivals Texas Tech, Kansas State, Utah, Brigham Young and Iowa State - while Marcello has Texas Christian higher as well.

These rankings generally show a belief that Arizona State can replicate the success it found last season, but it's also a reflection on the significant improvement within the Big 12, at least according to the outside world.

Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Among the reasons behind Arizona State being ranked include returning 17 of 22 starting players from last season, the entire positional/coordinator coaching core, and the top-end talent that is in place relative to the rest of the Big 12.

Sam Leavitt, Jordyn Tyson, C.J. Fite, and more dynamic talents comprise the most dynamic stars that the program has rostered in years - with the infrastructure behind them much sturdier compared to the supremely talented squads that came before.

The AP Poll is set to officially release next Monday at 9 A.M. Arizona time - just three weeks before the Arizona State season kicks off on August 30.

Read more on Dillingham discussing the various narratives that Sun Devil running backs have faced in replacing Cam Skattebo here, and on revisiting previous hall of fame selections to come out of Arizona State here.

This article first appeared on Arizona State Sun Devils on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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