The Sun Devils can't get no respect, no respect at all!
With just a few hours to go until the National Championship game officially concludes the 2024 college football season, everyone's favorite "graphic design is my passion" account On3 released their early Top 25 rankings for the 2025 season.
NEW: 2025 Way-Too-Early College Football Top 25 via @Andy_Staples & @AriWasserman👀
— On3 (@On3sports) January 20, 2025
Do you agree? 🤔https://t.co/7RazdrYgQ7 pic.twitter.com/zgPp0pFpQn
Compiled by Andy Staples and Ari Wasserman, the list is pretty much as you'd expect. Texas takes the top spot despite losing a handful of starters to the draft and not even making the natty this year with said talent. Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, and Notre Dame round out the top five.
There's a few surprises, though. Illinois at 7, Auburn at 11, and Oklahoma at 18 are all sure to raise some eyebrows. One thing that should be just as surprising, though, is placing Arizona State at 17, one spot behind BYU.
The Sun Devils finished this season ranked 12th in the College Football Playoff poll and 10th in both the AP and Coaches poll. They then went on to lose to Texas in double overtime, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt they belonged there.
Arizona State is losing star running back Cam Skattebo, but that's about it. They're currently set to return over 50 scholarship players with 25 of them having been starters (or starter-adjacent players), including quarterback Sam Leavitt, receiver Jordyn Tyson, and four starters along the offensive line.
The Sun Devils have also added several impact players via the transfer portal, too. Fresno State receiver Jalen Moss and running back Kanye Udoh should both be starters next year, while a pair of Purdue cornerbacks in Kyndrich Breedlove and Nyland Green are going to be heavily in the mix for prominent roles in the secondary.
How does it make sense that a team as good as Arizona State, who's returning the vast majority of their players, would only come in at 17? Not only that, but they're one spot behind a BYU team they beat head to head, as well as being ranked behind eight different teams who finished with a worse record than the Sun Devils.
Kenny Dillingham's team relished the fact that so many doubted them in 2024, and it helped lead them to their best year in program history. Odds seem good they'll be ranked going into next year, but it's clear that Arizona State will still be dealing with disrespect in the new year.