What Win Against Houston Does for Arizona State Moving Forward

TEMPE -- The Arizona State Sun Devils have another major opportunity right in front of them with a game against the 6-1 Houston Cougars directly on-deck.

It has been well-documented that Kenny Dillingham's squad is even more short-handed this week compared to previous ones, as Heisman trophy hopeful Jordyn Tyson had been ruled out on Wednesday.

Arizona State has much to gain later on in the day regardless of circumstances - the many ways the program would benefit from a victory is below.

What Win Means Moving Forward for ASU

The most important development of a win is crystal clear - the Sun Devils will continue to take care of what is in front of them while sitting behind a pair of undefeated squads in the conference for the time being. The final four games are quite manageable, as they are set to face Iowa State, West Virginia, Colorado, and Arizona in what is a significant dip compared to what was seen from mid-September to now.

Pressure will inherently be placed on the undefeated teams in the league in Brigham Young and Cincinnati to continue to win in response to a Sun Devil victory. BYU and Cincinnati are set to play each other in the penultimate week of the regular season on November 22.

This is the perfect opportunity for the next generation of Sun Devils to step up once again - the top power brokers on the roster are largely either on the verge of graduating or entering the NFL draft - or both. Jordyn Tyson being out opens the door for Jaren Hamilton, Derek Eusebio, and other potential major 2026 contributors to produce.

Ditto for the defense, as Xavion Alford has been out for over a month, while safeties Adrian "Boogie" Wilson and Myles "Ghost" Rowser are currently questionable. This presents an opportunity for former walk-on Jack Bal and perhaps nickel Montana Warren to step into the safety spots. As for linebacker, Jordan Crook is questionable as well, which has compounded a development in that key contributor Zyrus Fiaseu is out for the year as well. This sets the stage for sophomore LB Martell Hughes to step up once again in a more expansive role even compared to past weeks.

If Arizona State's depth and youthful talent excels this week, they should ultimately head into week 10 with a 6-2 record, with a large amount of positive momentum heading into the game against Iowa State.

Read more on why the Arizona State men's basketball team will exceed expectations in the 2025-26 season here, and on three major takeaways from the win over Texas Tech here.

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