Kenny Dillingham's Success vs Top Teams Difficult to Ignore

Arizona State shocked the college football world in 2024 by winning 11 games alongside the Big 12 title after winning just six games combined in the two seasons prior.

Perhaps the most vital piece of the proverbial puzzle over that time period has been Kenny Dillingham - the now 35 year old head coach took over as the youngest coach in the FBS in November 2022.

The difference he has made was felt from day one on the job - now the Sun Devils are positioned to compete for conference titles on a yearly basis, and an undeniable driving factor behind that is Dillingham's ability to win key games.

Brad Crawford of CBS Sports compiled a rundown of the record for every power four coach against top 25 competition - that obviously entailed the Big 12 as well.

There was no dominant coach in these 'massive' games in the conference and Dillingham sits at just 4-6 two seasons into his career - but if last season was any indication, the Sun Devils are set to receive many more of these opportunities moving forward.

Dillingham's four wins against top 25 squads:

No. 16 Utah - October 11, 2024

No. 16 Kansas State - November 16

No. 14 Brigham Young - November 23

No. 16 Iowa State - December 7

This doesn't account for the 39-31 loss to Texas in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchup in which the Sun Devils were one play away from winning the game.

The Utah contest ended up not being as strong of a win as initially believed to be - but it arguably set the tone for the late-season run that was made by the team.

The Kansas State win was arguably the most dominant victory all season - Arizona State took a three possession lead at one point during the game before holding on late.

BYU was much of the same - the Sun Devils took a dominant 28-9 lead before seeing the advantage shrink. They eventually held on behind a Javan Robinson interception.

Lastly, the victory over Iowa State was as convincing as can be. There was little doubt who the better team was - even in the absence of Jordyn Tyson.

Read more about why ASU vs. Texas Tech could be one of the most vital games of the 2025 season here, and on Tyson's potential current NFL draft stock here.

Please let us know your thoughts on Dillingham's ability to win massive games last season when you like our Facebook page when you click right here.