It's finally game week. Arizona State will get its season started on Saturday against Northern Arizona but college footbal has already gotten underway.
We here at Devils in Detail are going to get you caught up on the weekend's action as we prepare to launch into full fledged coverage of the upcoming campaign. Here's to a successful Big 12 title defense for the Sun Devils!
Big 12 race sees massive upset in Week 0 tilt from Ireland
It's not even Week 1 yet and the Big 12 favorite is already in a deep hole. No. 17 Kansas State fell 24-21 to No. 22 Iowa State in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic on Saturday, meaning last year's runners up have a big advantage entering the season.
Toughest Team Wins 🌪️☘️🇮🇪 pic.twitter.com/zTwyvgTApT
— Iowa State Football (@CycloneFB) August 23, 2025
The Cyclones held off the Wildcats in the fourth quarter with a couple fourth down stops though it was the turnover game early in the contest that wound up being crucial to Iowa State's success. The rain made it hard for Kansas State to hold on to the ball and there were four fumbles total before halftime.
Kansas State's early loss is reminiscent of last year when then-No. 10 ranked Florida State fell to Georgia Tech in Dublin. The Seminoles never recovered so now the question becomes, will Kansas State suffer the same fate?
Special teams to be new focus of ASU football's success
Without a doubt the biggest weakness on Arizona State’s 2024 team was their special teams unit. They used three different kickers throughout the year, none of whom were reliable, and punter Kanyon Floyd ranked 135th in yards per punt.
Kenny Dillingham has frequently circled special teams as an area that needed major improvements this offseason. He also shared at the Big 12 Football Media Days that he plans to spend time working with that unit more this season. Transfer kicker Jesus Gomez is a step in the right direction, but this unit needs to improve elsewhere too if Arizona State can dramatically improve over last year.
Our own Andrew Hayslett and David Howman break down the unit and what they’re looking for.