Where Does Arizona State Land in Early Rankings?

The Arizona State Sun Devils are still riding high after a shocking run that saw the program go from a projected last-place finish in the Big 12 preseason media poll last summer to a berth in the College Football Playoff.

While the loss of Cam Skattebo will certainly impact the team in one fashion or another, many publications have faith in Kenny Dillingham’s program to repeat what was done last season - Mark Schlabach of ESPN has the Sun Devils ranked as the number 12 team in the nation in the way-too-early rankings.

The loss of Skattebo was supplemented by returning both Kyson and Raleek Brown, while Army transfer Kanye Udoh is sure to make a positive impact as well. 

Beyond the running back room, the Sun Devils and Dillingham were successful in retaining 16 starting players from the team that went 11-3 a year ago. 

The unsung hero of the 2024 squad was the defense - and Schlabach is fascinated to see how the program responds to what were considered soft spots of the defense last season.

“There are 10 starters coming back from a defense that led the league in run defense (112.9 yards) and was No. 3 in scoring defense (22.6 points). The Sun Devils gave up too many big plays in the passing game, and they were working on getting more pressure on opposing quarterbacks.”

While the defense did provide more positive output than negative, the chunk plays typically were a source of frustration on a week-to-week basis - it ultimately rarely mattered, as the ASU defense were consistently able to secure timely stops in games.

Despite this, the Big 12 will be an unquestioned challenge for them from a quarterback perspective, as upcoming opponents in Sawyer Robertson of Baylor and Rocco Becht or Iowa State are considered some of the top players at the position in the nation. 

The Sun Devils’ expectations have shifted dramatically - as they have gone from a program that was on the brink of collapse just three years ago to one that could be a yearly favorite in the Big 12, along with inching up as a legitimate destination for high-end recruits.

The expectations have arrived. Now, it is time for Dillingham and the Sun Devil program to exceed the sky-high hopes coming into August.

Please let us know your thoughts on the rankings when you like our Facebook page when you click right here.