Arizona State's Big Win Over Iowa State Secures Huge Opportunity
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TEMPE -- The Arizona State Sun Devils will officially be playing in a bowl game for a second consecutive season after a 24-19 win over the Iowa State Cyclones on Saturday.
The win was the culmination of a week in which not much else seemed to go right - QB Sam Leavitt was ruled out for the rest of the season, WR Jordyn Tyson was unable to return to game action, and special teams coordinator Charlie Ragle took a health-related leave of absence.
Arizona State almost inexplicably still has a lot to play for despite the laundry list of factors working against them - perhaps even the hope of still reaching the College Football Playoff.
Arizona State on SI examines the immediate bowl future of the program in 2025 below.
CBS Sports: Alamo Bowl vs. USC
Brad Crawford believes that the former Pac-12 foes will square off in one of the best non-CFP bowl games that currently exist.
This would be an intriguing battle on several fronts, including Kenny Dillingham and Lincoln Riley facing off in a battle of two of the best young coaches in all of college football. This would also be the potential re-ignition of a recruiting battle in Southern California, as Dillingham has stated that he would like to re-enter the pipeline.
ESPN: Sun Bowl
Kyle Bonagura: vs Duke
Mark Schlabach: vs. Pitt
Duke would be a particularly intriguing opponent in the context of the Sun Bowl, as the Blue Devils and Sun Devils faced off in the game at the conclusion of the 2014 season. Duke QB Darian Mensah would be a tricky task for Arizona State DC Brian Ward as well.
Arizona State on SI: Alamo Bowl vs. Washington
Arizona State will likely have its pick of bowl games if it wins its final three games and falls short of the CFP. USC and Washington appear to make a lot of sense as potential opponents in the Alamo Bowl as talented squads that were former Pac-12 rivals.
At this point, Arizona State on SI projects USC to finish 10-2 and make the CFP, while Washington finishes 9-3, finishing just short of that goal.
Washington head coach Jedd Fisch is very familiar to ASU fans, as he coached at Arizona for three seasons, and Washington QB Demond Williams is an Arizona product - he is playing at as high a level as any other quarterback in the Big 10 currently.
Read more on why the Arizona State men's basketball team will exceed expectations in the 2025-26 season here, and three major takeaways following a gutsy win over Iowa State here
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Kevin Hicks is an Arizona State alumni and now serves as the Arizona State Beat Writer On SI.