Arizona State is Playing Above Expectations
Every year there are surprise teams in college football in every conference. In the Big 12 Conference, Arizona State is that up and coming team.
The 2024 football version of the Arizona State Sun Devils was picked to finish dead last by the media. Sometimes sports media gets it wrong. We got it wrong in a big way with the Sun Devils.
After the Sun Devils beat UCF on Saturday night 35-31. ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham has his team in contention for a Big 12 Conference Championship Game berth. Arizona State pushed its record to 7-2 in their first year in the conference. The Sun Devils are also 4-2 in conference play.
Keep in mind that the Sun Devils got their latest win without their star running back, Cam Skattebo. To do this without Skattebo should tell fans that this Sun Devil team has bought into the culture that Coach Dillingham is installing at a school that has needed this type of thinking from their head coach for years.
Dillingham is a coach that is constantly pushing fans, alumni to get to Mountain America Stadium to cheer on his Sun Devils. Post game press conferences always have Coach Dillingham speaking about how much the fans affected the opposition ability to communicate or talking about how fun this team is to watch.
“We have a bunch of dogs on this team. This team actually has guys on it that enjoy playing football. All they are worried about is their preparation and winning football games. As a coach, I can’t ask for anything more.” Coach Dillingham said.
Arizona State was a team that many local media said would max out at six wins if everything went their way. Well, they’ve survived injuries to their quarterback, Sam Leavitt. As previously mentioned, their star running back Cam Skattebo has been sidelined with injuries. When you have two of your main offensive weapons out of the line-up and you still continue to win that tells you that this team is playing well enough to overcome obstacles.
With three games left in the 2024 season the race to the Big 12 Football Championship Game is wide open.
This upcoming week against a #19 Kansas State team will certainly be a challenge for the Sun Devils, but as many people are discovering discount the Sun Devils at your own peril.
“We’ve got play with a chip on our shoulders next week because we’re probably gonna be a 7.5 to 14 point dogs on the road in Manhattan where it’s going to be 35 degrees.” Coach Dillingham said.
One of the keys to this game with Kansas State will be the availability of Cam Skattebo. If Skattebo is ready to play then the line on the game probably comes down a little bit. However, whether Arizona State has its star running back or not getting a victory against the Wildcats on the road will be tough. Plus, the implications of this game on who gets to the Big 12 Championship are massive.
Kansas State and Arizona State both are 4-2 and sit one game behind the Big 12’s second place team, Colorado. To get to the second spot at the end of the season and get into the conference title game the Sun Devils and Wildcats have to win out.
The current standings in the Big 12 look like this going into this weekend’s games:
- BYU (6-0)
- Colorado (5-1)
- Iowa State (4-2)
- Kansas State (4-2)
- Arizona State (4-2)
- West Virginia (4-2)
- TCU (4-3)
- Texas Tech (4-3)
- Cincinnati (3-3)
- Baylor (3-3)
- Houston (3-3)
When you take a look at the schedules of these top teams in the Big 12 you will notice that five out of the top six teams are at home this weekend. Who is the only team on the road? The Sun Devils are the lone road team out of these teams. Arizona State is also the only team out of these teams that is on the road and the only team that is the underdog in their game.
Being in a game where people believe you will not win is nothing new to the Sun Devils.
Arizona State football players and coaches have another opportunity to show why they are team that can make believers out of the non-believers.
Michael J. Wilson-The Daily Waiver