Future Games Against SEC Opponents at Peril for Arizona State

The Sun Devils will supposedly need to find a replacement in their non-conference schedule for a third SEC opponent in the weeks ahead.

Nov 28, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Kenny Dillingham reacts against the Arizona Wildcats during the 99th Territorial Cup at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

TEMPE -- It's been an eventful Tuesday for Arizona State Sun Devils football.

The Sun Devils officially announced that a home-and-home series would be revived with former Pac-12 foe Stanford - with Stanford set to host in 2031 and the return game in Tempe set for the following year.

The timing was curious due to Arizona State already having a major opponent (Texas) - the developments that bled into this ultimate announcement were revealed shortly after.

Arizona State football head coach Kenny Dillingham reacts during the first quarter against Iowa State in the Big-12 showdown at jack Trice Stadium on Nov. 1, 2025, in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Arizona State's Future SEC Matchups in Jeopardy

Arizona State insider Chris Karpman reported that Arizona State's series against Stanford is the result of Texas requesting to cancel the series the two had previously scheduled several years ago.

"BREAKING: Texas asked to be let out of its scheduled football home-and-home with ASU in 2032/2033, a source tells SunDevilSource. The games won't be rescheduled. ASU will play Stanford in 2031/2032.

The SEC's move to nine conference games led to this. It also jeopardizes ASU's future home-and-homes with Florida and LSU."

Florida had previously requested a cancellation of the series the two had scheduled back in September (the two programs were set to play in 2028 and 2031) - which set the stage for the other SEC programs to back away from previously agreed upon matchups.

There has been a longstanding provision in each non-conference agreement with SEC programs that each school would be able to exit the deal if the conference schedule expanded from eight to nine games - this came to fruition last summer.

It appears as if LSU is likely to be the next to exit the agreed upon series, but nothing is finalized at this point. Arizona State and Texas A&M remain set to play, with the first game coming this September in College Station, Texas, with the return trip to Tempe set to be played in September 2027.

Losing SEC Games Not Entirely Negative

The opportunities to earn season-defining wins that have the potential to shape a real at-large College Football Playoff case are dwindling (for the moment), although the cancellations are opening new doors for ASU.

The Stanford home-and-home is just the first in a potential set of games that Arizona State has the potential to schedule against California-based teams. The Sun Devils are already slated to play San Diego State in 2028/2029 - could UCLA and USC potentially be on the table as well?

Expect an announcement over the course of the offseason for the replacement games in regard to Florida, as well as potentially LSU.

Read more on the bold strategy that head coach Bobby Hurley employed with comments on 1/21 here, and on why Arizona State may have saved the season with the win over Cincinnati on Saturday here..

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