Unranked Again: Arizona State Returns to a Familiar Underdog Role

The Sun Devils were left out of the 2026 US LBM Preseason Coaches Poll Top 25, receiving only eight votes. After entering last season with national expectations, Arizona State is back in the position where Kenny Dillingham’s program has previously been at its best: overlooked, doubted and forced to prove itself.

That situation should sound familiar in Tempe.

Before the 2024 season, Arizona State was unranked and projected to finish last in its first year as a member of the Big 12. The Sun Devils responded by producing one of the greatest seasons in program history.

Arizona State finished 11-3, defeated Iowa State 45-19 in the Big 12 Championship and earned a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff. The historic run ended in the Peach Bowl, where the Sun Devils pushed Texas into double overtime before falling 39-31 in the quarterfinals.

A program that was expected to finish at the bottom of its conference came within one possession of reaching the national semifinals.

Expectations changed quickly after that.

Arizona State entered the 2025 season ranked No. 11 in the AP preseason poll, its highest preseason ranking since 1998. The Sun Devils were no longer the surprise team. They were the defending Big 12 champions, a preseason playoff contender and a program expected to remain near the top of the conference.

The highly anticipated encore never completely came together.

Arizona State finished 8-5 with losses to Mississippi State, Utah, Houston, Arizona and Duke in the Sun Bowl. Injuries played a significant role as the season progressed, especially at quarterback. Sam Leavitt dealt with a foot injury that eventually required season-ending surgery, leaving the Sun Devils without the quarterback who had helped lead their 2024 championship run.

The difference between the two seasons was clear. In 2024, Arizona State played with almost nothing expected of it. In 2025, every opponent viewed the Sun Devils as a conference champion and potential playoff team.

Now, the pressure has shifted again.

Dillingham has not announced his starting quarterback for the 2026 season. The Sun Devils are working through a competition to replace Leavitt, and Dillingham has said he wants the decision made approximately nine or 10 days before preparation begins for the season opener against Morgan State.

The uncertainty at the most important position is one of the biggest reasons Arizona State is being questioned nationally. The Sun Devils have talent, but they also have a young roster, a new quarterback and a schedule that offers very little time to develop.

After opening at home against Morgan State on September 5, Arizona State travels to College Station to face preseason No. 8 Texas A&M at Kyle Field. That will be the first major test for whoever wins the quarterback job and an early opportunity for the Sun Devils to change the national conversation.

One week later, Arizona State travels across the Atlantic Ocean to play Kansas in the inaugural Union Jack Classic at Wembley Stadium.

The game presents challenges that go beyond football. The Sun Devils will be adjusting to international travel, a significant time difference and an unfamiliar environment while preparing for a Big 12 opponent. FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff will also broadcast live from London before the September 19 matchup, placing the program on a major national stage.

The schedule does not become much easier during conference play.

Arizona State must travel to preseason No. 12 Texas Tech and No. 15 BYU. The Sun Devils will also host Kansas State before finishing the regular season against Arizona in Tucson. Five of ASU’s final eight games will be played away from Mountain America Stadium, including trips to Lubbock, Provo, Orlando and Tucson.

From the outside, Arizona State may not look like a team prepared to compete for another Big 12 championship. There is no established starting quarterback, the schedule is demanding and the program is coming off a season in which it struggled to meet heightened expectations.

That might be exactly where Dillingham wants his team.

The underdog mentality has become part of Arizona State’s identity under its young head coach. Dillingham’s energy and belief helped turn a last place projection into a conference championship in 2024. The Sun Devils will now attempt to rediscover that same edge with fewer expectations and plenty of reasons to feel overlooked.

Arizona State has already shown that preseason rankings do not determine where a team finishes.

The Sun Devils are unranked again. Whether that becomes motivation or an accurate prediction will be decided by a young roster facing one of the toughest schedules of Dillingham’s tenure.