Where is ASU football landing on way-too-early top 25 lists for 2025?
Ahead of Monday night’s College Football Playoff final between Ohio State and Notre Dame to punctuate the 2024 season, early top 25 lists for 2025 have started to release with ASU and the Big 12 receiving some of the same disrespect sent their way in 2024.
Across the five lists pulled for this story, there were no Big 12 teams in the top 10, and three lists contained multiple Big 12 teams in the top 15.
ASU expects to return much of the two-deep of a roster that led a turnaround from 3-9 in 2023 to 11-3 and knocking on the door of the College Football Playoff semifinals in 2024, but many outlets circled the Cam Skattebo loss as one that will be too big to overcome.
Arizona State will not sneak up on the rest of college football in 2025. However, the Sun Devils have plenty of staying power behind coach Kenny Dillingham and rising star quarterback Sam Leavitt.” Athlon Sports’ Steven Lassan wrote. “Skattebo will be missed, but Army transfer Kanye Udoh, Kyson Brown and Raleek Brown form a capable trio in the backfield. Also, top receiver Jordyn Tyson (75 catches for 1,101 yards) returns after missing the team’s final two games due to injury.”
Over the final eight regular-season games, Tyson led the nation in receiving yards and is poised to enter 2025 as a Biletnikoff Award candidate. The Sun Devils also replenished the depth chart behind him after Xavier Guillory and Melquan Stovall ran out of eligibility.
As many as 10 of 11 starters from the Big 12’s third-ranked scoring defense (22.6 points per game allowed) are expected back, as well, including vocal leader Xavion Alford.
Other Big 12 teams have retooled to keep ASU from repeating, such as Texas Tech netting the nation’s third-ranked transfer class and Utah replenishing its offense by adding former Scottsdale Saguaro quarterback Devon Dampier and his New Mexico offensive coordinator, Jason Beck.
