The Arizona State Sun Devils will be looking to prove that their 2024 season, which saw them win the Big 12 and clinch a berth in the College Football Playoff, was no fluke. Moreover, one ESPN host backs head coach Kenny Dillingham to repeat their success.
One prominent player they will need to replace is Cameron Skattebo, who is now in the NFL with the New York Giants. Despite the loss of their star running back, the Sun Devils do have starting quarterback Sam Leavitt returning, along with star wide receiver Jordyn Tyson.
As a result, ESPN’s Reece Davis predicts that Arizona State will be the first team since the Oklahoma Sooners, who won four straight Big 12 title games from 2017 to 2020, to repeat as conference champions.
“I believe in Arizona State,” Davis said on the “College GameDay Podcast.” “I think they’re going to break that run of nobody being able to repeat… Arizona State’s got a lot back. I know they have to replace Skattebo. I really like Leavitt. I think Dillingham has the right demeanor and disposition.”
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Furthermore, Davis believes that the Sun Devils will continue winning close games, which was their calling card last season, as they also defeated three ranked opponents in BYU, Arizona, and Iowa State.
“[Arizona State] won close games last year. They have to continue to do that. And I know everybody says, ‘Well, big deal. What great insight that they’ve got to win close games.’
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“There is just so much data, particularly in the Big 12, that if you have an excellent record in one-possession games, meaning only one or two losses, you get four or five wins. Everybody’s going to have six or seven of them. That’s just the way it goes in that conference.
“If you go 6-1, 5-2, you’re probably going to be in the mix. If they don’t go your way, as they didn’t for Kansas last year early, you’re not going to be in the mix. And Arizona State’s going to have to do that. But I like the Sun Devils to repeat and go back to the playoff.”
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