In their first Big 12 season, the Arizona State Sun Devils caught the conference by surprise. They’d win the Big 12 despite widely being overlooked and go to the College Football Playoff. Now, they’re looking for some way to try and repeat that performance. Everyone on Arizona State’s schedule is going to be gunning for […]
In their first Big 12 season, the Arizona State Sun Devils caught the conference by surprise. They’d win the Big 12 despite widely being overlooked and go to the College Football Playoff. Now, they’re looking for some way to try and repeat that performance.
Everyone on Arizona State’s schedule is going to be gunning for them. At the same time, as analyst Greg McElroy explained on Always College Football, the Sun Devils have a manageable schedule. In fact, he thinks it’s the easiest in the Big 12 this upcoming season.
“Part of the reason why Arizona State falls into this category is because of how much I like Arizona State,” Greg McElroy said. “A lot of that has to do, when you look at these schedules, if you really like a team, their schedule is going to be more manageable because — hey, right now as we’re playing mythical games, we’re just going to assume they have an advantage against every team they play. If you look at their schedule, there’s a realistic possibility that Arizona State is favored in every single game this season. That is a realistic possibility.”
Not everyone agrees with Greg McElroy, though. Phil Steele, for instance, rated Arizona State as having the eighth toughest schedule in the Big 12, which is right in the middle of the conference, in his annual preview.
“At Mississippi State in the non-con. You go on the road and play one of the worst teams in the SEC. You’re at Baylor on the 20th. Very tough game, I think, for the Sun Devils, before getting TCU at home on the 26th. That’s a Friday. So, short rest from the road trip to Waco before welcoming TCU to Tempe. They’ll get a bye and then they’ll go to Utah. That’s the only game where it’s looking like a possibility right now like they could be a slight dog,” McElroy said.
“Texas Tech comes to them. Houston comes to them. They’re at Iowa State. Could potentially be an underdog there, depending on what happens with the Cyclones. West Virginia is at home. Colorado‘s on the road. Then they finish up there in the Territorial Cup against Arizona on a Friday, November 28th. A manageable schedule for the Sun Devils as they try to repeat the incredible performance of 2024.”
Going into the season, Arizona State has been ranked fifth by ESPN in its final Big 12 preseason rankings. The Sun Devils are also tied for the second-best odds to win the Big 12. So, McElroy remains high on Arizona State, it could be a bit higher than others are on the Sun Devils.
Arizona State opens its season on August 30th against Northern Arizona out of the FCS ranks. That Baylor game on September 20th will then kick off Big 12 play.
Category: General Sports
