Three Reasons for Concern With Arizona State Football in 2025

TEMPE -- The Arizona State football program is still in a great spot in year three of the Kenny Dillingham era despite a 24-16 loss to the Houston Cougars on Saturday.

Growth isn't always linear in the world of college football, and the program is in a great spot moving forward - but there are certainly points of concern over the rest of this season in particular.

3. Inconsistent Offense-Defense Balance

Dillingham has previously stated that the difference between a good and great team is how both sides of the ball compliment each other.

Well, Arizona State's offense and defense appeared to be inversely complimentary once again in week nine - as the defense held their ground for the most part while the offense was trying to find a groove.

The only game this season in which both sides of the ball were playing off of each other was the win over Texas Tech - not seeing that in any other contest this season has to be concerning for all parties involved.

2. Manner in Which Big 12 Standings Are Shaping Up

Dillingham pointed out that the Sun Devils are posting the same conference record this year compared to this time in 2024 last night - what wasn't acknowledged is the difference in the make-up of the league.

Cincinnati and Brigham Young are both undefeated in the league to this stage - losses by both might not even matter due to procedural tiebreakers. This isn't accounting for Texas Tech, Utah, Houston, and others that the team will have to or will potentially have to create separation from.

It's not yet over - but the manner in which the final weeks are shaping up isn't exactly promising for Dillingham and company.

1. Overall Health of Roster

This has been an underlying concern since very early into the season - as star safety Xavion Alford has been out since the Texas State game on September 13, while running back Kyson Brown has been in-and-out of the lineup ever since a breakout first game of the season.

This has now extended to QB Sam Leavitt and WR Jordyn Tyson - who have each missed a game, with the status of each being uncertain moving into the final four games of the season.

While this Arizona State roster is as deep as any other seen in recent years, too many injuries piling up might prove to be too much to overcome in the end.

Read more on why the Arizona State men's basketball team will exceed expectations in the 2025-26 season here, and on why the 2025 football team is at a crossroads following a loss to Houston here.

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