Last year, Arizona State was picked to finish dead last in the Big 12 preseason media poll. The Sun Devils punched well above their preseason expectations and won the entire conference. That led the conference to get rid of the poll, saying it disadvantaged the Sun Devils.
That led many outlets to release their polls (including my own), with the most high-profile now being a Big 12 coaches poll conducted by On3. They asked the coaches who they think will come in first and second places in the conference anonymously, and the coaches could not vote for their team.
Big 12 coaches pick Kansas State & Iowa State to meet in Big 12 title game in a poll conducted by @On3sports. Seven of league’s 16 teams received votes & coaches could not vote for their own teamhttps://t.co/Tgncww9nNn pic.twitter.com/okwny6Gnbp
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) July 10, 2025
Arizona State was ranked third on the list with six votes, behind Kansas State and Iowa State. Interestingly enough, Iowa State received only second-place votes with seven. Four coaches thought Arizona State would finish first, and two thought they would finish second. Kansas State had the most first-place votes with six.
Texas Tech, Texas Christian, Baylor and Utah rounded out the list. The conference emphasized the term “competitive balance” in its media days, and the poll reflects it well.
Of the seven schools that received votes only Utah is the only team changing quarterbacks, with Newcomer of the Year Devon Dampier taking the reins of the offense. The Utes only had one second-place vote. All of the schools are retaining their head coach.
Arizona State had the most players selected by the media-voted 2025 Preseason All-Big 12 Team, with quarterback Sam Leavitt being named preseason Offensive Player of the Year. The Sun Devils also hold extreme continuity with their starters, as they have 16 of 22 starters returning. Two of the six were medium-impact wide receivers. It is hard to find a hole on the Sun Devil roster.
Like the Sun Devils, Kansas State also loses its star running back and has only brought in a solid FCS running back, leaving them with a possible hole. Iowa State lost its two 1,000-yard receivers, and it looks like the Cyclones do not have many good options for quarterback Rocco Becht with transfer Chase
Sowell is their best hope to replicate that. Those two teams have holes in their offense, and both teams' defenses last year left a bit to be desired.
The Sun Devils can use this disrespect as motivation to get back to and win the Big 12 Championship.