Arizona State Dips in National Power Rankings

The perception of the Sun Devils worsened once again following a major loss to Utah.

Oct 11, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils running back Demarius Robinson (23) is thrown down by Utah Utes defensive tackle Dallas Vakalahi (98) and defensive tackle Sione Motuapuaka (44) during the fourth quarter at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

TEMPE -- Arizona State football is attempting to navigate the sky-high expectations that were placed upon them over the course of the offseason, which reached a head last Saturday when the team was handled by the Utah Utes in all three phases of the game.

The Sun Devils were widely considered a top-25 caliber team after bouncing back from a last-minute loss to Mississippi State with three consecutive victories - two of which were against programs that were perceived as fellow contenders in the Big 12.

Now, Kenny Dillingham and the squad are forced to go back to the drawing board heading into the week eight game, with outside perception once again marred to an extent.

Chip Patterson of CBS Sports docked Arizona State 10 spots in the site's weekly power rankings - falling to number 32 from the previous spot of 22.

"Every voter has their own right to make adjustments as they choose, but I'd like to think that our highly-educated experts are putting in some kind of rankings buffer for Arizona State not having star quarterback Sam Leavitt on Saturday night in Salt Lake City."

Nov 30, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of an Arizona State Sun Devils helmet during the Territorial Cup at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

"The Sun Devils fell to 4-2 on the year with a 42-10 loss to Utah, and while falling out of the top 25 feels appropriate given the other options to move up, the margin of defeat seems more tied to the injury issues than the team's quality."

The rationale is sound - as the 42-10 drubbing is possibly the worst loss of the Dillingham era - all things considered.

Arizona State's 2023 team dropped multiple games in blowout fashion - including a 55-3 road loss to Utah in November of that season - but that squad was severely undermanned and injured, with Jacob Conover lining up at quarterback in that contest.

Nov 23, 2024; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of an Arizona State Sun Devils helmet at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The 2025 team entered the season ranked 11th in the AP poll, had an entire year sample of being an elite run defense, and returned nearly every coach in an incredibly strong sign of continuity.

The fact that Utah rushed for nearly 300 yards was incredibly uncharacteristic of the roster/coaching staff that is in place - the unfortunate loss is hopefully a wake-up call to an incredibly talented squad.

Arizona State has a chance to bounce back this Saturday against a top-10 team in Texas Tech - the status of Sam Leavitt will be crucial in the days leading up to the battle in Tempe.

Read more about Arizona State basketball coach Bobby Hurley speaking directly to fans ahead of the start of the 2025 season here, and on three major takeaways from the 42-10 loss to Utah here.

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