ASU’s Possible Routes to the Big 12 Title Game

The Sun Devils have two ways they can reach Arlington this coming week.

Dec 7, 2024; Arlington, TX, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Kenny Dillingham looks at the trophy after winning the Big 12 Championship game against the Iowa State Cyclones at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images | Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

TEMPE -- The final week of the 2025 regular season is now here for the college football world at large - including the Arizona State Sun Devils.

Kenny Dillingham's team enters the week sporting an 8-3 record and still possessing a chance to reach the Big 12 title game despite facing a myriad of debilitating injuries - this is a testament to what Kenny Dillingham has built despite being a relative long shot to actually achieve this feat.

Arizona State on SI breaks down the two paths that remain for the Sun Devils to return to Arlington next Saturday.

Nov 22, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Jeff Sims (2) prepares to pass the ball in the first quarter against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

SCENARIO 1: Win vs. Arizona, BYU loss vs. UCF, Texas Tech wins at West Virginia

A win on Friday night against the Arizona Wildcats is absolutely necessary to keep their hopes alive - this is a non-negotiable. Beyond that, they would need UCF to go to Provo and pull a stunning upset over the BYU Cougars on Saturday morning. They would also need Texas Tech to defeat West Virginia on Saturday morning to avoid a tiebreaker between Tech, Utah, and ASU.

This scenario has anywhere between a 5-10 percent chance of actually happening, as the vast majority of models have BYU in the standing of a major favorite over UCF, but the Knights have everything to play for this week, as Scott Frost is looking to guide the team to an improbable bowl game berth in his return to the school.

SCENARIO 2: Win vs. Arizona, Texas Tech loss at West Virginia, Utah loss at Kansas

This scenario is even less likely than the first one - and the viability of this one coming to fruition will be known before the Sun Devils face off with the Wildcats on Friday night.

The Utah-Kansas game is set to be played on Friday morning, with the Utes coming off a narrow victory over Kansas State. Kansas is fighting for bowl eligibility in what is the final regular-season game of program legend Jalon Daniels' career.

Defensive coordinator Brian Ward instructs his players during ASU fall camp practice on Aug. 2, 2024, at Verde Dickey Dome in Tempe. | Cheryl Evans/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

If Kansas does, in fact, win and it is coupled with an Arizona State win, the final leg of the parlay would be for Rich Rodriguez and the West Virginia Mountaineers to pull off an all-time shocker over Texas Tech at home. The Mountaineers have played better football as of late, but the talent gap is huge between them and the Red Raiders. This is compounded by the inability of West Virginia to play for bowl eligibility.

Clouds form as the Arizona State Sun Devils take on the West Virginia Mountaineers at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe on Nov. 15, 2025. | Diannie Chavez/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Read more on why the Arizona State men's basketball team will exceed expectations in the 2025-26 season here, and on major takeaways from the Sun Devils’ convincing win over Colorado in week 13 here.

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