Most every media member had a big, ole whiff when it came to projecting the Arizona State Sun Devils in their first Big 12 football season.
Picked last and finished first in 2024, ASU is now on the radar. But if FOX Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt’s post-spring top 25 says anything, it’s that the top of the conference heading into 2025 looks as uncertain as it did toward the end of 2024, which saw the Sun Devils come out on top by way of some wacky tiebreakers.
Klatt has Arizona State ranked 15th on his preseason top 25. Notably, his list included no standout Big 12 team and a glut of contenders outside of the top 10:
14. BYU
15. Arizona State
16. Kansas State
17. Iowa State
Klatt’s first gut feeling was to list head coach Kenny Dillingham’s squad last among that group of four favorites. It was of significance that the Sun Devils lost running back Cam Skattebo.
“I’m like, man, you can’t replace that,” Klatt said. “You can’t replace that energy and that passion, and you look at what happened in the playoff and what they relied on him for — even if you looked at the Big 12 championship game.
“He meant so much to that program.”
But then there’s a little more optimism in looking at what returns — 16 starters by his count. The returning group includes quarterback Sam Leavitt and receiver Jordyn Tyson, who have gained steam as standout players.
“You’re like, ‘ohhh, OK, well, this is going to be a really good team,’” Klatt said.
Joel Klatt’s post-spring college football top 25 rankings includes ASU
1. Penn State
2. Texas
3. Ohio State
4. Oregon
5. Clemson
6. Notre Dame
7. LSU
8. Georgia
9. Alabama
10. Illinois
11. South Carolina
12. Michigan
13. Florida
14. BYU
15. Arizona State
16. Kansas State
17. Iowa State
18. Miami
19. Texas A&M
20. Ole Miss
21. Indiana
22. Auburn
23. Iowa
24. Baylor
25. Oklahoma
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