Who Would Arizona State's Protected Big 12 Rivals Be?

The Arizona State Sun Devils are entering year two as members of the Big 12 conference with a nine-game conference slate.

At the moment the Arizona Wildcats are the only 'protected rival' - or team that the Sun Devils will play every season, but a recent shift in scheduling strategy from the SEC will open the door for other conferences to follow suit.

The SEC recently voted to expand the conference to nine games, which creates the possibility that the conference will add more protected rivals with an extra game.

Other conferences would likely follow suit in response - what would Arizona State's yearly slate look like under those circumstances?

The three choices for a yearly battle:

Arizona

Arizona is already a protected rival in the current conference schedule. That will absolutely not change in a potential three-game set of that arrangement.

The Sun Devils and Wildcats are soon set to play the 100th edition of the rivalry, and the vitriol tangibly shown between the fanbases is matched by very few other rivals.

Utah

Utah has quickly risen to a similar level as the team that will be mentioned last as a secondary rival.