Arizona State Cracks ESPN's FPI Top 25

The Sun Devils sneak inside the top 25 of this specific metric.

Arizona State players warm up during a practice inside the Verde Dickey Dome in in Tempe on August 12, 2025. | Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Arizona State is entering the 2025 campaign under Kenny Dillingham ranked as the 11th best team in the nation according to the AP Poll.

It's simple to see why so many are bullish on the Sun Devils heading into the new season - the roster is largely intact relative to last season, OC Marcus Arroyo/DC Brian Ward return, and natural progression from high-level talent such as QB Sam Leavitt is expected as well.

Skepticism will always remain despite the general positive nature of discourse - even from computers.

ESPN's FPI - the analytic system that measures how much better or worse a team is to an average team - has Arizona State ranked as the 24th best team in the nation at the moment.

Arizona State is currently pacing below Brigham Young (22) and Kansas State (18) in the Big 12. The Sun Devils are projected to win 8.7 games on average, remain a virtual lock to reach bowl eligibility, and hold an 18.9% chance to make it to the CFP for a second season in a row.

12 SEC teams grace the top 25 of the FPI, while six Big 10 squads are represented as well - that shows the metric system shows an inherent favoring towards the leagues that are perceived to be the major power brokers in the modern landscape of college football.

The Sun Devils being ranked as low as 24 simply doesn't make much sense in any conventional manner. Dillingham's team performed at a higher level compared to many SEC counterparts last season (regardless of competition) and finished the season by playing largely dominant football over the final six weeks or so.

Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham responds to a question during a joint news conference with Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian before facing off in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. | Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The team returns nearly 80% of starting players - including Heisman Trophy contender Leavitt, potential highly touted NFL draft prospect Jordyn Tyson, and numerous high-level defenders such as junior DT C.J. Fite.

The moral of the story - don't count out Arizona State, a team that entered November of 2024 with a miniscule chance to win the Big 12 according to the same metric.

Read ASU on SI's exclusive interview with Tyson here, and on where Leavitt lands on the NIL merchandise sales leaderboard here.

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