Arizona State football will be tested and will need to win the hard way

Magic doesn’t last in sports. Lightning caught in a bottle eventually dissipates. Arizona State’s football program is going to have to win the hard way in 2025.

On the eve of Camp T – a sacred tradition that pays homage to old-school fellowship, nostalgia, roughing it in the woods, and the late Frank Kush – it would be wise for all of us to get our bearings straight.

There is tremendous excitement around the program. ASU famously ranks No. 1 in innovation. But now they also rank No. 11 in the Preseason Coaches Poll. You can make an argument that they are underrated still, but that would be quibbling. Just like their stay outside Payson, the Sun Devils have arrived at high altitude. No other Big 12 program cracked the Top 20.

That’s respect.

ASU might dominate in the coming months. The defense returns nine starters. The offense has lost a wrecking ball force (Cam Skattebo) and a really good center (Leif Fautanu). But they bring back everyone else, including a quarterback who is gunning for a Heisman (Sam Leavitt); a player who might be the first wide receiver off the board in the 2026 NFL draft (Jordyn Tyson); and a powerful trio of running backs by committee.

If the Summer of Sam becomes the runway for the greatest quarterback in ASU history, a national championship is within arm’s reach, closer than it has been in nearly 30 years. Yes, pressure and expectations usually derail most of the Valley hopefuls. But nothing can stop a great football team.

Alas, chances are better that ASU will be tested. They will lose a small handful of games. They will face adversity. They will deal with an unprecedented target on their backs.

ASU football was picked last and finished first in 2024, nearly upsetting Texas in the College Football Playoff. Their debut season in the Big 12 electrified the Valley yet injured the conference’s reputation, so much that they did away with the preseason poll. The Sun Devils should wear that like a badge of honor.

Along the way, head coach Kenny Dillingham has become a rising star in college football. His energy and personality are contagious, and his messaging is brilliant. He is reshaping allegiances, galvanizing and connecting with fickle fans inside a professional sports market. He has earned the trust of his administration, who understand the stakes of not giving him what he needs, of giving him incentive to leave. Somehow, at age 35, Dillingham knows what it takes and how to get there.

But the rest of the conference is jealous and angry and coming for revenge. Beating ASU has become a top priority.

As a result, this much is also true: The Sun Devils might win nine games and not return to the CFP. Parity in the Big 12 could again limit the conference to just one bid. Success isn’t necessarily confined to a playoff payoff. Know that going in.

What matters is that the Sun Devils continue to ascend in reputation, recruiting and retention. What matters is for this train to keep rolling, powerful and inevitable and built for the long haul.

Reach Bickley at dbickley@arizonasports.com. Listen to Bickley & Marotta weekdays from 6 a.m. – 10 a.m. on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station.

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