3 reasons Arizona State will repeat as Big 12 champs in 2025

Few people were talking about Arizona State football at this time last year, and certainly not in conversations about Big 12 contenders.

Now, with the 2025 Big 12 football schedule released Tuesday, the question becomes: Can the Sun Devils repeat as conference champs?

What a difference a Cinderella season makes.

Arizona State, which won just three games in 2023, accomplished the unthinkable in its first season in the Big 12, winning the realigned, 16-team conference after being picked to finish dead last.

The Sun Devils then showcased their arrival on the national stage with a gutsy but ultimately heartbreaking 39-31 double-overtime loss to Texas in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.

ASU finished the season with an 11-3 overall record and a No. 7 ranking in The Associated Press Top 25 poll.

The Sun Devils' surprising success last season means they'll enter 2025 with a bull's-eye on their backs as they attempt to repeat as Big 12 champions and make a return trip to the College Football Playoff.

Can they do it? Here are three reasons why Devils in Detail says yes:

1. Kenny Dillingham

Dillingham wouldn't like being included on this list, as he routinely dismisses credit heaped upon him for the Sun Devils' turnaround in his second season as head coach.

Despite his humility, Dillingham is the No. 1 reason Arizona State is relevant again in the college football landscape and why back-to-back Big 12 titles are a realistic possibility.

The 34-year-old ASU alumnus has made it his mission to "Activate the Valley" — re-energizing fans and donors with his passion for the program.

That passion was on full display during Dillingham's epic on-field interview following the Sun Devils' 27-19 home victory over then-No. 16 Utah, when he disappeared into the throng of field-storming fans while proclaiming he "was one of these guys."

Dillingham earned Big 12 Coach of the Year honors from the conference and AP in 2024, and if the Sun Devils repeat as champions next season, he'll likely add to that collection.

2. Returning Roster

The Sun Devils said goodbye to the biggest star of their incredible rise to national prominence last season, Cam Skattebo, but the majority of ASU's two-deep roster is expected to return in 2025.

Quarterback Sam Leavitt highlights the list of returnees and already is being mentioned as a possible Heisman Trophy candidate.

Leavitt, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound redshirt sophomore, completed 216 of 350 passes (62%) for 2,885 yards and 24 touchdowns with six interceptions last season. He also carried the ball 110 times for 443 yards (4 yards per attempt) and another five TDs.

Leavitt's favorite target, wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, also returns to an offense that averaged 32.9 points per game last season — fourth-best in the Big 12.

Tyson, a 6-1, 195-pound redshirt junior, had a breakout season in 2024, finishing with 75 catches for 1,101 yards and 10 touchdowns before getting injured Nov. 30 against Arizona and missing the Sun Devils' postseason run.

Tyson was one of three Sun Devils to earn All-Big 12 First Team honors following the 2024 season.

Safety Xavion Alford, linebacker Keyshaun Elliott and defensive tackle C.J. Fite lead the list of returning players on defense.

Alford, a 6-foot, 200-pound redshirt junior, was ASU's second-leading tackler last season with 85 total tackles — including 40 solo stops — and ranked third on the team in interceptions with two. His performance earned him a spot on the All-Big 12 First Team.

Elliott, a 6-2, 230-pound senior, ranked fifth on the team in tackles with 65 (20 solo) — including four tackles for loss and two sacks — earning him an All-Big 12 Second Team selection.

Fite, a 6-1, 295-pound junior, had 30 total tackles (18 solo), four tackles for loss and two sacks. He joined Leavitt and Elliott on the All-Big 12 Second Team.

3. Favorable Schedule

Arizona State will face six teams that finished with winning records in Big 12 play last season, including a championship game rematch with Iowa State on Nov. 1 in Ames, Iowa. The others are matchups Sept. 20 at Baylor, Sept. 27 vs. TCU, Oct. 18 vs. Texas Tech, Nov. 15 vs. West Virginia and Nov. 22 at Colorado.

The remaining three conference games include a trip to Salt Lake City to face Utah (Oct. 11) and home games against Houston (Nov. 25) and in-state rival Arizona (Nov. 28 or Nov. 29).

The Sun Devils have a great opportunity to build on last season's momentum and get off to a 3-0 start in their non-conference schedule — Aug. 30 vs. Northern Arizona, Sept. 6 at Mississippi State and Sept. 13 vs. Texas State.

In all, ASU will play seven games at Mountain America Stadium, where it went 6-0 last season. In addition, bye weeks prior to the Oct. 11 matchup at Utah and the Nov. 5 home game vs. West Virginia break up the conference schedule nicely.

While anything can happen during a college football season — just ask last year's Sun Devils — Arizona State has the coach, the players and a conceivable path to another Big 12 championship in 2025.