No. 11 Arizona State aiming to maintain momentum following rise to CFP a year ago

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona State had one of college football’s biggest turnarounds last season, reaching the College Football Playoff after being picked to finish last in its first season in the Big 12.

The Sun Devils’ goal this season is prove they’re no one-hit wonders, to build upon one of the best seasons in program history instead of taking a step back.

“We really didn’t do anything special — we did something that’s actually normal,” Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham said. “What would be special would be to continue to build off of that and that was the real challenge. How do we not become what normal teams in our situation do, which is fall back to where we’ve always been?”

The Sun Devils had a meteoric rise last season, reaching the CFP for the first time a year after winning three games in Dillingham’s first season. Arizona State pulled it off behind hard-nosed, do-everything running back Cam Skattebo, steady quarterback Sam Leavitt and a run-stuffing defense.

Skattebo is now playing for the NFL’s New York Giants, but nearly everyone else is back, ramping up expectations and enthusiasm in the desert. Arizona State’s No. 11 ranking in the preseason AP Top 25 is the program’s highest since opening at No. 8 in 1998 under Bruce Snyder.

“We’ve got the Valley activated for sure now, so they’re definitely expecting some things out of us,” Sun Devils receiver Jordyn Tyson said.

Leavitt returns

Leavitt had a memorable first season in Tempe after a redshirt year at Michigan State in 2023.

The 6-foot-2 quarterback set a school freshman record with 3,328 yards of total offense and his 2,885 yards passing are second in program history by a freshman. Leavitt threw for 24 touchdowns with six interceptions and embraced the spotlight that came with the Sun Devils’ rise, leading them to the Big 12 championship and a spot in the Peach Bowl.

The sophomore is expected to take an even bigger step this season — he’s been tabbed among the Heisman Trophy favorites — with a deeper knowledge of Arizona State’s offense and the confidence of leading his team to the CFP.

“His confidence is not cockiness because he works and he prepares and he loves it,” Dillingham said. “So, I love the fact that he’s confident. I think it’s only going to fuel him to be the best version of himself.”

Replacing Skattebo

Skattebo was one of the nation’s best players last season, a multi-talented back who bulled through tacklers, caught passes, even threw a few while racking up more than 2,300 combined yards.

Now that he’s gone, the Sun Devils may spread it around this season between three talented backs.

Kyson Brown Jr. showed flashes in a limited role as Skattebo’s backup last season, Kanye Udoh ran for over 1,100 yards at Army last season and speedy Raleek Brown could have a breakout season after being injured most of last year.

Schedule

Arizona State opens the season at home against FCS team Northern Arizona on Aug. 30 before playing a tough road game at Mississippi State the following week.

The Sun Devils open Big 12 play at Baylor on Sept. 20, with road games against Utah, Iowa State and Colorado before hosting rival Arizona in the regular-season finale.

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