Sun Devil football schedule for 2025 officially unveiled

The Big 12 officially released their 2025 football schedule on Tuesday, and the Sun Devils now know exactly when they'll be taking on several big tests as they look to try and repeat a magical 2024 season that saw them reach the College Football Playoff as conference champions.

At this point, we've known the who for some time; Arizona State's non-conference opponents were set years ago, and their Big 12 schedule was announced last year. But as everyone knows by now, it's not so much about who you play but when you play them. Take a look at the full schedule.

Another Texas road trip to kick off Big 12 play

Last year, the Sun Devils began conference play - their first ever Big 12 game - on the road in Lubbock against Texas Tech. That game ended up being one of just two regular season losses, and the only one of which quarterback Sam Leavitt participated in.

This year, it'll be another road trip, but in Waco to take on Baylor. The Bears are led by sixth-year head coach Dave Aranda, who entered last season on the hot seat but saved his job with an 8-5 finish. That included Baylor going 5-1 at home, their only loss coming by one score against BYU.

The Sun Devils were equally strong at home, going undefeated in Mountain America Stadium, but all three of their losses came away from home, two of them against Texas-based teams. Will they fare better against Baylor than they did Texas Tech?

Big 12 title game rematch

A year ago at the Big 12 media days, Commissioner Brett Yormark declared that his conference would have meaningful games every week and that November would represent the march towards the playoff. It seems he's taking the same approach this year, scheduling the rematch of the conference championship game for the first weekend of November.

Of course, the Sun Devils crushed the Cyclones of Iowa State 45-19 to secure their first conference title since 1996. That doesn't erase the stellart year that Iowa State had, though, as they notched double-digit wins for the first time in program history.

The Cyclones are losing their two top receivers, as well as a few defensive stars, but return quarterback Rocco Becht and running back Abu Sama. Similarly, the Sun Devils return Leavitt, star receiver Jordyn Tyson, and a large swath of starters from last year. Most importantly, both programs inked their head coaches to contract extensions.

It seems likely that these two schools will once again feature prominently in the hierarchy of the Big 12, given all their returning talent. This game could very well be one of the most impactful games of the year by the time it comes around.

No extended road trips, advantageous bye placement

One major positive about the Sun Devils' schedule is that they will not have back-to-back road trips at any point during the year. They had two such stretches last season. That's a big deal given how much of an advantage homefield was for Arizona State last year.

The placement of the two bye weeks is also advantageous for the Sun Devils. Each coming towards the beginning of the October and November months, the schedule is nicely bisected into three parts: the first five games, then a four game stretch ending with that clash against Iowa State, and three games to close things out.

That final three-game stretch also works out well for Arizona State. They'll play at home against West Virginia, on the road against Colorado, and then host their rival Arizona for the next iteration of the historic Territorial Cup.

Having the bye right before that stretch, which features two home games and a short road trip, could be huge for the Sun Devils' conference championship hopes down the stretch.