Where Does Arizona State Rank Among Teams to Reach Playoff?
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TEMPE -- The 2024 Arizona State Sun Devils were seen as little more than a feel-good story this time a year ago - after the program won the Big 12 and secured a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff.
This was reflected in the team being ranked near the very bottom of teams to participate in the CFP heading into last year's tournament.
Now, Bill Connelly of ESPN ranks the 2024 Arizona State squad at number 52 out of 64 total teams to make it since the 2014 season.
"It's tricky figuring out where to place a team that didn't look the part until November, then very much looked the part. As late as Week 12 in 2024, ASU's playoff odds were minuscule. But the Sun Devils won six straight down the stretch, and star Cam Skattebo almost took them even further. Behind his 242 yards from scrimmage against Texas, they were one play away from the semifinals but fell agonizingly short."
Where Connelly is Correct
There's no denying that it's difficult to gauge a team that put together several underwhelming showings ahead of the stretch run of the 2024 season.
The Sun Devils fell to Texas Tech and Cincinnati in road battles that exposed real cracks from within the team, while narrow victories such as the 35-31 triumph over Kansas didn't inspire a ton of confidence.
Why 2024 Arizona State is More
The Arizona State team that was seen in the win over Kansas - even UCF on November 9 of that season - was not the same team that was on display beyond that point.
Sam Leavitt, Jordyn Tyson, and Skattebo showed up in full force - with the dynamic trio being complimented by a defense that stepped up time and time again under the leadership of Brian Ward.
The 24-14 win over Kansas State was a much more dominant performance than the final score would indicate, as was the 28-23 victory over BYU that ended up being a nail-biter. The 49-7 dismantling of Arizona was the icing on the cake as far as the regular season was concerned, and the 45-19 drubbing of Iowa State validated that this team took another step towards being the elite in the college football world.
The 39-31 double OT loss to Texas put a bow on this being a historically good and significant squad out of the Big 12. It can certainly be argued that the Sun Devils have a valid argument to be ranked over teams such as 2024 Tennessee, 2025 Ole Miss, and others - although that will be saved for another day.
Where Does Program Go From Here?
Texas Tech was a truly dominant program in the league this season, as they won all of their 12 games by double-digit margins.
The good news? Arizona State was the lone team to get within the 10-point threshold, which was a true signal that Dillingham's program is still on the right path moving into the future.
While the Sun Devils don't have the same NIL capabilities of the surging Red Raiders, they do have a solid enough foundation on that front, while also possessing several other selling points, including an accomplished staff that has an incredible collective track record, as well as being located in one of the most attractive metro areas in the nation.
The expectation should be to compete for Big 12 titles and future CFP berths on a yearly basis despite a sixth-place finish in the league in 2025 - it will undoubtedly be fascinating to see how Dillingham approaches the next several weeks of recruiting/transfer portal work.
Until then, Arizona State officially concludes their 2025 season on December 31, when they take on the Duke Blue Devils in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl.
Read more on why the Arizona State men's basketball team will exceed expectations in the 2025-26 season here, and on why the bright future of the football program isn’t dimmed by the loss to Arizona here.
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Kevin Hicks is an Arizona State alumni and now serves as the Arizona State Beat Writer On SI.