Arizona State landed at seventh in the Big 12 preseason poll, a surprising drop for a program that’s been arguably one of the most consistent and successful in the conference over the last two seasons. For real, this crew was in the Big 12 championship game just two years ago, beating Iowa State 45-19, and even made it to the College Football Playoffs, almost taking down Texas in a 39-31 double overtime thriller in the quarterfinals. Last year, even with some brutal injuries, especially to QB Sam Leavitt, they still finished 6-3 in the Big 12 and 8-5 overall. So yeah, seventh place? That’s a head-scratcher.
Kenny Dillingham Is Ready To Prove Everyone Wrong
Fourth-year ASU coach Kenny Dillingham is not having it, and honestly, good for him. This dude is one of the more vocal coaches out there, and he made it clear at Big 12 media days that he couldn’t care less about outside expectations. But you know what he *does* care about? Keeping receipts. That’s a coach who knows how to motivate. “Watch us. We’re tough. We’re physically and mentally tough. We respond to adversity,” Dillingham said. “When bad things happen, we respond. We don’t get too high. We don’t get too low. That’s the No. 1 thing, other than the little things like owning the ball and all that stuff that everybody has to do to win.” You gotta love that fire. He’s basically daring the league to underestimate his squad.
New QB, Brutal Schedule: The Road Ahead
Part of the reason for the low expectations is the big QB question. Sam Leavitt, who was sidelined last year with injuries, hit the transfer portal and is now at LSU. That’s a huge loss, no doubt. But Dillingham wasn’t scrambling for just anyone. He brought in Kentucky’s Cutter Boley, who started 11 games for the Wildcats as a redshirt freshman in 2025, going 4-7 in those matchups. Dillingham knew Boley from his Oregon days, calling him a “really good athlete” and remembering him as a high school basketball player. He said he “knew I wanted to target him from the beginning” when Boley hit the portal. That’s a vote of confidence right there.
But even with a new signal-caller Dillingham trusts, the schedule is absolutely savage. These guys kick off their conference slate with the program’s longest road trip ever, heading to London’s Wembley Stadium to face Kansas on September 19. And just a week before that, on September 12, they’re down in SEC country playing Texas A&M. Talk about a brutal gauntlet to start the season. This team will need every ounce of that mental and physical toughness Dillingham preaches. They’ve got a shot to shock everyone, but they’ll earn every single win.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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