Nov 22, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils running back Kanye Udoh (6) carries for a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Arizona State Rises in College Football Playoff Rankings

Originally posted on Arizona State Sun Devils on SI
By Kevin Hicks | Last updated Nov 25, 2025 8:19 PM ET

TEMPE -- The Arizona State Sun Devils (8-3, 6-2 Big 12) are looking to finish off the third regular season of the Kenny Dillingham era on a high note with a rivalry game against the Arizona Wildcats that has real stakes on Friday night.

The Sun Devils' 42-17 victory over the Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday night was noticed by the College Football Playoff selection committee on Tuesday evening - as the team went up five spots from 25 to 20 heading into the week 14 game.

The fight that Arizona State has shown during this stretch is commendable, as they have worked their way back into the committee rankings for the first time since last December.

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

Arizona State on SI explores key developments surrounding the reveal of the rankings below.

Big 12 Well-Represented in Rankings

The Sun Devils were joined by four other teams in the league.

#5 Texas Tech

#11 Brigham Young (first team out of playof)

#13 Utah

#25 Arizona

Texas Tech's lone loss of the season to Arizona State is clearly not negatively impacting the team's standing heading into their final game of the regular season against West Virginia.

The Sun Devils did not face the Cougars this season, but likely need them to lose to UCF this Saturday to have a chance to defend their Big 12 championship.

Utah defeated the Sun Devils 42-10 on October 10, but have the most narrow path to getting to Arlington. They also dropped a spot from last week after having to come from behind to defeat Kansas State.

Raised Stakes For Territorial Cup

This is the first time that both teams are ranked in the top 25 heading into the Territorial Cup game since the 2014 season - which was a game that the teams played for the Pac-12 South title in.

The Wildcats are unable to compete for the Big 12 title after dropping an overtime loss to BYU and suffering a last-second defeat at the hands of Houston, but they still have plenty to play for after coming in at number 25 in the rankings. Brent Brennan went into the season with questions as to whether he would be on the hot seat just two seasons into the tenure - those questions have been silenced, and Arizona is seeking to flip the script heading into Noah Fifita's senior season in 2026.

The Sun Devils and Wildcats are set to face-off on Friday night at 7 P.M. MST

Read more on why the Arizona State men's basketball team will exceed expectations in the 2025-26 season here, and on major takeaways from the Sun Devils’ convincing win over Colorado in week 13 here.

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

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