Arizona State's Bowl Game Projection Revealed

Brad Crawford of CBS Sports is still fairly high on the Sun Devils' ceiling despite the loss, but not nearly as much as others have been, placing them as the Big 12's representative in the Las Vegas Bowl on December 31 against the Illinois Fighting Illini of the Big 10.

Arizona State still carries the designation of a Pac-12 team for continuity purposes - but would, for all intents and purposes, be playing in one of the three biggest postseason games within the Big 12 conference.

This result would obviously be disappointing for the 2025 Arizona State team, as they entered the season as the 11th-ranked team in the nation with hopes of repeating as Big 12 champions - a result short of that will not satisfy anyone within the program, but it would also be far from a disaster.

The positive spin on the uncomfortable week that is ahead of the team is that they still are very much in control of their own destiny to reach the CFP once again, despite what those on the outside are saying. The Sun Devils are set to face Baylor, Texas Christian, Utah, Texas Tech, and Iowa State - every single team that is considered a legitimate contender to win the conference outside of themselves - in a several-week span.

There is still time to clean up/address potential weaknesses, hone in on major strengths, and truly flex the advantages that have been built up over the last two seasons over programs that have begun to take a jump over them - at least perceptually.

Other Big 12 programs do not roster Sam Leavitt and Jordyn Tyson, who still comprise the best duo in all of college football. Other Big 12 programs do not roster what is likely the deepest running back room in the country. Other Big 12 programs do not roster C.J. Fite and Jacob Rich Kongaika - who have presided over a dominant run defense for well over a year to this point. Most importantly, other Big 12 programs do not have Kenny Dillingham as head coach.

As for the week at hand, Arizona State is set to host Texas State on Saturday night after narrowly defeating the Bobcats on the road last season.

Read more on major takeaways from Arizona State's week two loss here, and on taking a dive into coach Dillingham's comments after the game here.