Arizona State Still Facing Doubters

Arizona State is seeking to become the class of the Big 12 long term after winning the conference in their debut season as members of the conference a year ago.

The Sun Devils went into the season being slept on through various forms of medium - ESPN analytics included, as they were projected to be a longshot to reach bowl eligibility.

Kenny Dillingham and company shattered those expectations, then took a sub-20% chance of defeating the Texas Longhorns in the College Football Playoff into being a play within winning the battle.

There remains skepticism from the outside despite ample returning talent, the results of last season, and other factors.

Bill Connelly of ESPN proselytized the site's SP+ analytics to project what could come of the Big 12 in the season that is to be.

Some major takeaways from the projections:

• Arizona State's offense (26th) and defense (27th) rankings place them firmly in top 25 conversations.

• The Sun Devils special teams are ranked 136th out of 138 FBS programs after finishing last season 131st according to SP+.

• They are projected to win 5.7 conference games on average, hold a 10.1% chance to win the Big 12, a 6.9% chance to win 11+ games, and a 97% chance to become bowl eligible.

Arizona State's offense and defense are likely to fall in the same range when it comes to where they will be ranked nationally - it does appear as if the ceiling of the offensive unit is much higher than 26th this season, especially due to returning Sam Leavitt and Jordyn Tyson.

The special teams should be much better this season - if nothing else due to the addition of Eastern Michigan kicker Jesus Gomez via the transfer portal.

The Sun Devils are a safe bet to reach bowl eligibility - but the goal is obviously going to be 11+ wins and another conference title.

Arizona State is in prime position to defy the odds once again - the talent, depth, and continuity of this team is likely to serve them well ahead of the 12 game regular season slate.

Read more on what coach Dillingham had to say during his time with media earlier this week here, and on how senior linebacker Zyrus Fiaseu can be a key contributor to the Sun Devil defense here.

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