From the very moment that Sun Devil football fans saw their season end - in double overtime of the Peach Bowl in the College Football Playoff - the hype for the 2025 season has been steadily building.
Head coach Kenny Dillingham broke through last year, winning 11 games and the Big 12 title in Arizona State's first year in the conference. Cam Skattebo went from a former FCS player to a Heisman candidate to an NFL draft pick.
Skattebo may be the best story of last year's team, but he's hardly the only big story. Sam Leavitt's ascension throughout his freshman season, Jordyn Tyson's dominant year cut short due to injuries, an offense that came into its own under new coordinator Marcus Arroyo, and a defense that always managed to make the big play when it needed it most.
Arizona State returns nearly all of that team, with Skattebo being the most notable exception, and they've added several impact transfers in former Fresno State wide receiver Jalen Moss, former Army running back Kanye Udoh, and a couple of former Purdue cornerbacks in Kyndrich Breedlove and Nyland Green.
On top of it all, Dillingham - who received a contract extension prior to the start of the playoff - managed to keep his coaching staff together. That's a rarity around these parts, as the Sun Devils usually see assistants get poached by bigger schools the moment they have any success.
It's all contributed equally to the hype train, which has rightfully culminated in Arizona State being considered by most analysts to be one of the 15 best programs in college football heading into the new season.
And, at long last, a countdown can officially begin now that we are 100 days away from the season kicking off against Northern Arizona in Mountain America Stadium. We'll be counting down the days from here on out, with a special spotlight for a special player each day along the way.