Breaking down ASU football’s 2024 schedule: Easiest, toughest opponents

Arizona State football kicks off its season against Wyoming on Saturday looking to avoid a third-straight 3-9 season as a program that has seen better days.

Entering the second year of the Kenny Dillingham era, plenty of questions surround the Sun Devils. How will they perform? How will the team’s new transfers look? Will quarterback Sam Leavitt lead the Sun Devils to surprise success after they were picked to finish last in the Big 12 media poll?

More notably, how will ASU fare in its transition to the Big 12 Conference?

After the Pac-12 crumbled, the Sun Devils — along with Arizona, Colorado and Utah — moved to the Big 12, meaning they’ll play unfamiliar opponents throughout the 2024 season and beyond.

Not only that: A challenging nonconference slate leads into one of the toughest Big 12 slates of games. CBS Sports’ Shehan Jeyarajah ranked ASU’s conference schedule the second-toughest among 16 teams.

Here’s a split of which games look winnable on paper and which do not.

Easier opponents for the Sun Devils

These matchups look to pose less of a threat to Dillingham’s squad.

Saturday, Aug. 31 vs. Wyoming — 7:30 p.m. (FS1): Wyoming finished 9-4 last season, surprising at times but recorded its first nine-win season since 1996. Now, former defensive coordinator Jay Sawvel takes over for the retired Craig Bohl, looking to continue Wyoming’s success. This is the first time the Sun Devils and Cowboys have played each other since 1977, and Arizona State is 9-6 all-time against Wyoming. ASU is a 7.5-point favorite in the game, according to odds from FanDuel Sportsbook.

Saturday, Sept. 7 vs. Mississippi State — 7:30 p.m. (ESPN): Mississippi State went just 5-7 last season and has brought in a ton of players through the transfer portal. While Sun Devil faithful might be skeptical on the team’s performance this season, the Week 2 matchup has the ability to go either way. MSU was picked to finish second-to-last in the SEC ahead of only Vanderbilt.

Thursday, Sept. 12 at Texas State — 4:30 p.m. (ESPN): Texas State struggled on defense last season, allowing 32.8 points per game and having to score more than 35 points to have a chance. The Bobcats were 7-0 when scoring 35 points or more and 1-5 when they didn’t. Kenny Dillingham’s offense needs to score, score and score.

Saturday, Nov. 9 vs. UCF: UCF has the ability to compete in the Big 12, but it may take time. Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo runs havoc on the ground, and UCF struggled with its run game last season. UCF was 2-7 in 2023 when allowing over 100 yards on the ground, and the Knights were 4-0 when giving up fewer.

Saturday, Oct. 19 at Cincinnati: When they face Cincinnati, the Sun Devil defense needs to step up its run game as the Bearcats displayed one of the best in the nation in 2023. The Bearcats’ pass game was a different story though, and this season, the Sun Devils have to try and capitalize on a team that turned over the ball quite a bit in 2023. Cincinnati was picked to finish 14th in the Big 12 preseason polling.

Saturday, Nov. 23 vs. BYU: BYU finished 5-7 in its first season in the Big 12 last year, and they’re looking to build off that mediocre performance. Not much went right for the Cougars offensively, as they suffered turnovers that were costly. The Sun Devils have the ability to squeeze out a win. BYU was picked to finish 13th in the preseason media poll.

Saturday, Nov. 30 at Arizona: As for Arizona, the Territorial Cup always provides fans with a show. It’s the first time since 2015 that No. 21 Arizona was ranked in the AP preseason poll. Quarterback Noah Fifita and receiver Tetairoa McMillan are both returning, signaling an explosive offense. Arizona’s defense has improved and depth across the roster has strengthened under first-year coach Brent Brennan. As usual, it’s anyone’s guess on how the Nov. 30 matchup between the Sun Devils and Wildcats will go, so we’re including it here.

ASU football’s tougher opponents

Saturday, Sept. 21 at Texas Tech: With a plethora of receivers and Tahj Brooks at halfback, Texas Tech has a tough offense. Brooks ran for more than 1,500 yards with 10 touchdowns in 2023 and will once again be the offense’s focal point behind a monster offensive line. Arizona State’s defense will have to step up for this one.

Saturday, Oct. 5 vs. Kansas: Kansas is ranked No. 22 in the AP’s preseason poll, and after jumping from 0-9 in 2020 to 9-4 in 2023, a healthy Kansas squad can be scary against fellow Big 12 teams. The offense is scary, the defense is getting there. Buckle up for the team that was fourth in the Big 12 preseason poll.

Friday, Oct. 11 vs. Utah: While the introductory Big 12 season consists of plenty of new(ish) faces, the Sun Devils will face a few familiar faces this season. This includes No. 12 Utah and No. 24 Arizona, two of the five ranked teams from the Big 12. Utah was picked in the preseason media poll to win the conference. Arizona State will host Utah on Oct. 11, just six days after facing No. 22 Kansas. The Utes come to Tempe well-rested after facing Arizona on Sept. 28 and then a bye. The Sun Devils will have only six days of rest.

Saturday, Nov. 2 at Oklahoma State: No. 17 Oklahoma State is in contention as one of the teams to beat in the Big 12. ASU lost to the Cowboys 27-15 in Tempe last season and is looking to get revenge this season. Oklahoma State got 14 first-place votes to win the Big 12 title.

Saturday, Nov. 16 at Kansas State: No. 18 Kansas State is certainly in contention to win the Big 12 and got 19 first-place votes to Utah’s 20. After a 9-4 finish in 2023, the Wildcats can display dominance on both sides of the ball and it’ll be tough to Arizona State to keep up.