Arizona State starts the 2025 season in a completely different spot from where they were last year at this time. Winning the Big 12, and nearly beating Texas in the Peach Bowl, will do that after being picked to finish last in the conference.
Unsurprisingly, they were the highest ranked Big 12 team in the Coaches Poll that dropped Monday.
NEW 🚨 The Preseason Coaches Poll just dropped!
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) August 4, 2025
Who should be higher? pic.twitter.com/klBAic09So
The Sun Devils clock in at No, 11 in the poll, one of the highest points that Arizona State has ever been ranked to start the season. That shouldn't be a big surprise, given that they finished last year ranked seventh in the final College Football Playoff committee rankings.
Of the 10 schools ahead of them, seven of them also reached the College Football Playoff. That Longhorns team that needed two overtimes (and a controversial targeting call that we're still not over) is the top-ranked team in this poll, with reigning national champion Ohio State right behind them.
Arizona State is also the only Big 12 team to make the top 15 spots in the Coaches Poll. Kansas State is the next conference foe in the list, coming in at No. 20, just behind playoff team Indiana and just ahead of Texas A&M. Iowa State, BYU, and Texas Tech are all right next to each other rounding out the Top 25.
Three of those four schools makes plenty of sense. Iowa State reached the Big 12 title game, only to get smoked by the Sun Devils, while Kansas State and Texas Tech are the two most commonly picked teams to prevent Arizona State from repeating as Big 12 champions.
BYU, though, is a bit of a shock. They finished the regular season in a four-way tie for first in the Big 12 last year, but the Cougars saw star quarterback Jake Retzlaff transfer out this summer unexpectedly, leaving a massive question mark at the most important position. Apparently the other coaches have a lot of faith in Kalani Sitake.
Some notable Big 12 schools that didn't make the cut here include Baylor, TCU, and Utah. All three are expected to be contenders in the conference, but the coaches apparently don't buy them as one of the 25 best teams to start the year.
Arizona State stands head and shoulders above the rest, though. That makes sense, given they return nearly all their starters from last year's magical run and have a Heisman candidate in quarterback Sam Leavitt.
It will be interesting to see how the AP poll differs from this one when it drops here in the next few weeks.