Kenny Dillingham Discusses Stakes of Territorial Cup Game

TEMPE -- The 25th-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils are now heading into the final game of the 2025 regular season on Friday night against bitter rival Arizona in a game that will have real stakes.

Head coach Kenny Dillingham addressed how the stakes of the game are being dealt with from his point of view - and how the raised level of competition is beneficial for both programs moving forward in his Monday press conference.

“Yeah, it's awesome. It's awesome to have this game being played with two really good football teams. I think there's five teams that have eight wins in our league. Potentially, I thought I saw something like that. Maybe there's a six, but other was five at this point, two of them were playing in a rivalry game. And I think that's what you want. You know, you want to play this game to matter, and it's awesome that it matters.”

wdwd — ASU Sun Devils head coach Kenny Dillingham yells out to his team as they play against the Houston Cougars at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe on Oct. 25, 2025. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Arizona State on SI explores the stakes for both programs in Friday night's matchup below.

Arizona State Alive in Big 12 Race

Beyond retaining the Territorial Cup for another year, the Sun Devils have avenues to return to the Big 12 championship game with a win.

The win won't come easy, as Arizona is playing incredibly sound football in all three phases of the game, but they have home field advantage, a potential coaching advantage, and the best player on the field in Jordyn Tyson.

A win doesn't guarantee anything in terms of the playing future of the Sun Devils, but it does leave the door open.

Arizona Looking to Build Towards 2026

The Wildcats are seeking to wrap up what has been a resurgent 2025 season with nine total victories - and the opportunity to match the 2023 win total of 10.

Dillingham alluded to the fact that a large percentage of the core of the 2025 Wildcats' roster has been around for multiple seasons - overseeing a coaching change and a rough season a year ago in the midst of it all.

Head coach Brent Brennan went into the season with a hot seat - that has cooled substantially in recent weeks, as the Wildcats were a pair of narrow losses away from heading into this contest with a 10-1 record.

The Sun Devils and Wildcats are set to engage in their battle in Tempe on Friday night - with a start time of 7:00 P.M. MST and a national broadcast on Fox on deck.

Read more on why the Arizona State men's basketball team will exceed expectations in the 2025-26 season here, and on major takeaways from the Sun Devils’ convincing win over Colorado in week 13 here.

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