ASU football 'trying to beat history' in 2025 Big 12 college football season
The Sun Devils are also going to be "trying to beat history," according to ASU football coach Kenny Dillingham, who recently talked about how Arizona State has struggled historically when it has had lofty expectations placed on the team entering a season.
Arizona State is ranked No. 11 in the country in both the preseason AP Top 25 poll and the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll after winning the Big 12 Championship and making a College Football Playoff appearance last season.
Dillingham is making sure his team is aware of the team's history when it is ranked that high going into a season.
Big 12 football win total odds: Arizona | Arizona State | Baylor | BYU | Cincinnati | Colorado | Houston | Iowa State | Kansas | Kansas State | Oklahoma State | TCU | Texas Tech | UCF | Utah | West Virginia | Big 12 rankings
'Difficult to overcome': What Kenny Dillingham said about ASU's football history
"I've showed them the stats on Arizona State when they're ranked top 15 and in the last 50 years, what happened?" Dillingham recently told reporters, via Arizona Sports. "It's never good, never. And we're trying to beat history, right? We're not just facing opponents, right? We're facing 50 years of history. And anytime you face 50 years of history, that's not an accident. It's 50 years of history, and that's difficult to overcome. And I try to reiterate to them how hard that is and how this is going to be one of the most challenging tasks they'll ever face, because they're facing 50 years of history. They're coming to work every day and go out and get to coaching."
What 'history' is Arizona State football facing in 2025?
Before this season, the Sun Devils have been ranked in the Top 15 of the Associated Press poll 10 times since the poll began.
In 2015, they finished with a 6-7 overall record. In 2008, they went 5-7 overall. In 1998, they went 5-6 overall. In 1987, they had a 7-4-1 record. In 1984, they had a 5-6 record.
They went just 4-7 overall in 1976. That mark was 7-5 in 1974.
You have to go back to 1971, 1972 and 1973 to see Arizona State sustain success as a preseason Top 15 team. It went 11-1 in 1971, 10-2 in 1972 and 11-1 in 1973.
Big 12 football game picks: Arizona | Arizona State | Baylor | BYU | Cincinnati | Colorado | Houston | Iowa State | Kansas | Kansas State | Oklahoma State | TCU | Texas Tech | UCF | Utah | West Virginia | Projected Big 12 standings, records
Arizona State football history in AP Top 25 preseason poll:
2025: No. 11
2021: No. 25 (finished unranked, 8-5 overall)
2015: No. 15 (finished unranked, 6-7 overall)
2014: No. 19 (finished ranked No. 12, 10-3 overall)
2008: No. 15 (finished unranked, 5-7 overall)
2006: No. 24 (finished unranked, 7-6 overall)
2005: No. 20 (finished unranked, 7-5 overall)
2003: No. 22 (finished unranked, 5-7 overall)
1999: No. 25 (finished unranked, 6-6 overall)
1998: No. 8 (finished unranked, 5-6 overall)
1996: No. 20 (finished ranked No. 4, 11-1 overall)
1987: No. 14 (finished ranked No. 20, 7-4-1 overall)
1984: No. 13 (finished unranked, 5-6 overall)
1982: No. 19 (finished ranked No. 6, 10-2 overall)
1981: No. 20 (finished ranked No. 16, 9-2 overall)
1979: No. 18 (finished unranked, 6-6 overall)
1977: No. 17 (finished ranked No. 18, 9-3 overall)
1976: No. 3 (finished unranked, 4-7 overall)
1974: No. 15 (finished unranked, 7-5 overall)
1973: No. 14 (finished ranked No. 9, 11-1 overall)
1972: No. 12 (finished ranked No. 13, 10-2 overall)
1971: No. 14 (finished ranked No. 8, 11-1 overall)
1970: No. 19 (finished ranked No. 6, 11-0 overall)
1968: No. 18 (finished unranked, 8-2 overall)
College football conference championship odds: Big 12 | Big Ten | SEC | ACC | National championship odds: Big 12 | Big Ten | SEC | ACC | National title odds overall
Arizona State can make history in 2025
In addition to facing history this season, the Sun Devils can also make history in 2025.
Oklahoma is the only team in the conference's history to ever win the Big 12 title twice and the Sooners are now in the SEC, which means if Arizona State can win the Big 12 title this season, it will become the only other Big 12 team (and only current team from the conference) to win two straight outright conference titles (Baylor won the conference title in 2013 and shared it with TCU in 2014).
The Big 12 began in 1996.
That certainly would be historic for ASU football, which is only entering its second season in the Big 12.
Big 12 football schedule: By week | By team | Strength of schedule rankings | Top games
Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona State football 'trying to beat history' in 2025 Big 12 season
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