Arizona State Set to Play in Difficult Road Games

The Sun Devils are set to play in two of the toughest road environments in college football - per College Football 26.

Jan 1, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) is consoled by quarterback Jeff Sims (6) after a loss against the Texas Longhorns in the Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Big 12 conference is home to many underrated home field advantages in college football - Arizona State's home in Mountain America stadium is one of them.

Despite this, the home of Sun Devil football was not included in College Football 26's top 25 toughest places to play ahead of the game's launch on July 10th.

However, a pair of road opponents for Arizona State did make the list - Utah's Rice-Eccels Stadium slotted in at 20, while Mississippi State's Davis Wade Stadium made an appearance at number 25.

NEW: EA Sports College Football 26 Top 25 toughest places to play🎮https://t.co/36KX4yDXzv pic.twitter.com/e1EqWCKY9P

— On3 (@On3sports) June 24, 2025

The Sun Devils are set to play Mississippi State in Starkville on September 6 - a week after the season opener against Northern Arizona. The matchup is sure to be one where both sides face significant humid weather and potential rain - while the Bulldogs crowd is renowned for being rowdy throughout the course of games.

Arizona State's struggles in Salt Lake City against the Utes are well documented. A 55-3 loss in 2023, 35-21 meltdown in 2021, and 19-3 letdown in 2019 are just the most recent examples of the Sun Devils struggling in Utah.

The two programs are set to meet October 11th - nearly a year after Arizona State's 27-19 victory over Utah last season. The date could be significant due to it being around the beginning of snow season in the mountains of Utah - that is surely something to monitor as the game gets closer.

Oklahoma State's Boone Pickens stadium is the other Big 12 appearance in the rankings - although Colorado, Iowa State, Brigham Young, and Texas Christian have very real arguments to be included as well.

Sun Devil Stadium is quite the tough place to play at currently as well - the home field advantage began to slip away as the Todd Graham era winded down before reaching an all-time low in 2022.

Now, Kenny Dillingham has the Arizona State fanbase reinvigorated - and nearly every single Sun Devil home game in the future is sure to feature an enthusiastic home crowd.

Read more about the potential Dillingham has to become the best coach in college football down the road here, and take a look at projections surrounding the statistical leaders of the Sun Devil offense in 2025 here.

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