Why Arizona State is Not an Enigma in Big 12

The Sun Devils are once again at the very top of the conference - they aren't an uncertainty.

Sep 26, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) celebrates with head coach Kenny Dillingham after win against TCU Horned Frogs at Mountain America Stadium, Home of the ASU Sun Devils. Mandatory Credit: Jacob Reiner-Imagn Images | Jacob Reiner-Imagn Images

TEMPE -- The Arizona State Sun Devils have gone 15-4 since the beginning of the 2024 season, defying all odds after heading into the Big 12 being considered as a bottom-of-the-barrel program.

The fact that the Sun Devils had officially only won six games in the four seasons before 2024 in the eyes of the NCAA fed into that belief. Last season's iteration of Arizona State football completely defied the odds - drastically improving the outlook of the program in just a matter of months.

Arizona State is still facing significant skepticism from both the media world and fans across the country, despite the strong output over the last 13 months - that was made clear when ESPN's Heather Dinich named the team as an 'enigma' in the scope of the Big 12 conference in 2025.

Dinich's take on the label is below - with a significant leaning on ESPN's FPI metric.

• "The close road loss to a much-improved Mississippi State team isn't as bad as it might have seemed (though the Bulldogs have had a dose of reality with back-to-back losses to Tennessee and Texas A&M). The Sun Devils have won three straight games since that Sept. 6 loss, knocking off Baylor and TCU to reposition themselves near the top of the Big 12 standings again. The question is whether the defending conference champs are good enough to repeat.

The season-defining stretch begins Saturday at Utah, followed by home games against Texas Tech and Houston before heading to Iowa State ahead of the first CFP ranking Nov. 4. ESPN's FPI projects ASU will lose three of those next four."

Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) throws a pass against TCU during a game at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe on Sept. 26, 2025. | Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While the argument makes sense at the surface, the usage of 'enigma' for Arizona State specifically is wholly confounding.

The textbook definition of enigma is "a person or thing that is mysterious, , or difficult to understand."

Arizona State is not difficult to understand. They have a nearly two-season-long sample of winning at a high rate. They have a newfound track record of competing with SEC competition. Sam Leavitt and Jordyn Tyson are two of the very best players in college football - with a stout defense to support them. Kenny Dillingham is already one of the elite coaches in the entire nation at 35 years of age.

Arizona State is exactly who they've shown to be over the last year - a strong program that finds ways to win games. Kansas, Cincinnati, or even Baylor would have been a more suitable choice in this particular context.

Sep 26, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) celebrates touchdown with wide receiver Jordyn Tyson (0) against the TCU Horned Frogs in the first half at Mountain America Stadium, Home of the ASU Sun Devils. Mandatory Credit: Jacob Reiner-Imagn Images | Jacob Reiner-Imagn Images

Read more about Arizona State basketball coach Bobby Hurley speaking directly to fans ahead of the start of the 2025 season here, and on previewing key individual Utah players ahead of the Sun Devil football game on Saturday here.

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