A surprising start
The Sun Devils closed the 2025 campaign with an 8‑5 record, but the journey to that finish got off to an unexpected halt. When the AP poll was released on August 17, 2025, Arizona State was nowhere to be found, even though it had earned 32 votes — enough to rank fourth among teams that received any ballots.
Preseason promise
The optimism was rooted in a preseason No. 11 placement, the 25th time in school history the program had cracked the top‑15 before a season opener. That ranking came despite returning only 16 starters from the previous year, a factor that made the early disappointment feel all the more acute.
Early season tumble
By the third week of the schedule the team stood at 2‑1, yet it had already slipped out of both the AP and the US LBM coaches polls. The Sun Devils joined a dozen other programs that failed to retain any preseason ranking, a reminder that early votes do not guarantee staying power.
Looking ahead
The next test arrives on September 5, when Arizona State opens its season against Morgan State at Mountain America Stadium. Meanwhile, the Big 12 still boasts four representatives in the Top 25 — Texas Tech, BYU, Utah and Houston — highlighting the competitive landscape the Sun Devils must navigate.