Final AP Top 25 Poll: Arizona State football makes huge jump

The Sun Devils finished the season as one of the best teams in college football

The Arizona State football program went from an afterthought to a top-10 team. | Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After the dust settled, the Arizona State football team officially had one of the most remarkable turnarounds in college football history.

Picked to finish last in the Big 12 — and a complete afterthought in any preseason national college football rankings — the Sun Devils stunned the sports world by winning 11 games and pushing Texas to the brink in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.

It all added up to a top-10 national ranking to end the 2024 college football season. In the final AP Top 25 Poll, released Tuesday, Arizona State was ranked No. 7 in the country.

Notably, the Sun Devils were ranked ahead of Boise State, Tennessee, Indiana, SMU and Alabama — teams that finished ahead of ASU in the final College Football Playoff Rankings. ASU was ranked No. 12 in the final CFP Rankings.

Ohio State finished No. 1 after beating No. 2 Notre Dame 34-23 in the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday night. Despite getting blown out in the first round by Ohio State, Oregon finished No. 3. Texas finished No. 4, followed by Penn State and Georgia.

Four Big 12 teams were ranked in the final poll: No. 7 Arizona State, No. 13 BYU, No. 15 Iowa State and No. 25 Colorado.

Here is the final college football AP Top 25 Poll of the 2024 season.

Final AP Top 25 College Football Poll

Jan. 21, 2025

1. Ohio State (56)

2. Notre Dame

3. Oregon

4. Texas

5. Penn State

6. Georgia

7. Arizona State

8. Boise State

9. Tennessee

10. Indiana

11. Ole Miss

12.  SMU

13. BYU

14. Clemson

15. Iowa State

16. Illinois

17. Alabama

18. Miami

19. South Carolina

20. Syracuse

21. Army

22. Missouri

23. UNLV 

24. Memphis 

25. Colorado 

Also receiving votes: Navy 55, LSU 39, Louisville 38, Michigan 36, Kansas State 11, Marshall 8, Ohio 8, Florida 7, TCU 2, Texas A&M 1.  

More Arizona State & Big 12 Analysis

• Kenny Dillingham deserves to be national coach of the year

• NFL mock draft: Cam Skattebo to Dallas Cowboys

• Kenny Dillingham now one of highest-paid Big 12 coaches

• ASU top-ranked Big 12 team in early football rankings

• ASU lands explosive WR from Alabama

• Sam Leavitt: 'I want to have a statue here'

• After ASU player enters transfer portal, Kenny Dillingham has great response