Arizona State Set to Face New 2026 Non-Conference Opponent

TEMPE -- On the eve of the 2025 season for the Arizona State football program, the program faced some unfortunate news, but ultimately found a way to rebound.

Chris Karpman of SunDevilSource reported that Arizona State AD Graham Rossini confirmed that the 2026 Sun Devil football opener will be against a different opponent after the previously scheduled opponent in Bowling Green opted to cancel the meeting between the two schools.

Arizona State was able to add FCS Morgan State as a replacement - unfortunately, putting an end to potentially facing NFL legend Eddie George and a revitalized Bowling Green program.

BREAKING: ASU will play Morgan State to open the 2026 season after Bowling Green earlier backed out of the game, Graham Rossini just said at a VABC booster event.
— Chris Karpman (@ChrisKarpman) August 29, 2025

The change is a potentially minor one at the surface, but it points to more potential shuffling as the modern collegiate football landscape shifts by the day.

Future Arizona State non-conference matchups against Texas A&M, Florida, Louisiana State, and Texas are potentially in jeopardy as well after the SEC amended conference scheduling rules to set the stage for a nine-game conference slate beginning next season.

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

Programs like Texas and LSU can withstand a potential loss to Arizona State, while A&M/Florida are in a position to need every win they can get moving forward to secure a spot in the College Football playoff.

Regardless of what happens, the Sun Devils and Dillingham will adapt - as they have at every step over the last 21 months.

The carefully curated coach hiring practices, consistent roster building with an obvious vision in mind as to how the players will translate to the field, and posturing as a premier program for player development have gifted Dillingham ammo to move forward as one of the future power brokers in the sport. The future is bright in Tempe - that is for sure, at least as long as the 35-year-old head coach is in place.

As for the 2025 Sun Devil non-conference slate, the program is set to face Northern Arizona tonight, followed by Mississippi State on September 6 and capping off the three-game schedule with Texas State at home on September 13.

Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) scrambles out of the backfield against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe on Sept. 7, 2024. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Read more on the case for Sam Leavitt to be an All-American selection at season's end here, and if Dillingham has any built-in recruiting advantages in his role here.

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