Arizona State comes out of its bye week with ESPN’s Football Power Index still painting a modest picture of what’s left on the schedule.
The Sun Devils are rated at 3.0 in the latest FPI update, good for 57th nationally and 13th in the Big 12. That’s a one-spot bump in the national rankings this week, but the number itself tells the bigger story: ASU’s rating is 4.5 points lower than it was before the trip to Texas A&M and the game against Kansas in London.
FPI now projects Arizona State to finish 5.9-6.1, marking the second straight week the Sun Devils have been forecast to land below .500. The model also gives ASU a 58.5 percent shot at bowl eligibility, along with a 0.7 percent chance to win the Big 12 and a one percent chance to reach the College Football Playoff. That playoff number ranks 11th in the conference.
The Sun Devils are still sitting at zero percent to win out.
Arizona State’s recent stretch has done plenty to drag down those numbers. The team returned to Tempe after back-to-back road games against Texas A&M in College Station and Kansas in London, its longest road trip since 1990, when it played Houston in Tokyo.
ASU hung around with the then-No. 10 Aggies for three quarters before the game got away in the fourth, ending in a 48-20 loss.
Texas A&M has since fallen out of the AP Poll after consecutive double-digit defeats to then-unranked Kentucky and No. 11 LSU.
The Sun Devils did open conference play with a 24-17 win over Kansas, but they also posted their second-worst total yardage output since their home loss to Arizona on November 28, 2025. That win over Kansas came in London at the Union Jack Classic.
Now the focus shifts to Baylor, which visits ASU for the Sun Devils’ conference opener on Saturday. Arizona State beat the Bears 27-24 in Waco last season on a walk-off field goal from Jesus Gomez.
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ASU Fans Heading To Baylor Need This Game Day Info
Sun Devil Football returns to Mountain America Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 3, for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff against Baylor, and the school is making sure fans have the essentials before they head out. The game-day release lays out the key logistics for the night, including tailgating rules, parking information, stadium policies and the services available inside the venue for anyone planning to attend.
For fans still sorting out their plans, there are also details on ticket availability, the official game day app and nearby dining and shopping options around the stadium. With a night kickoff on tap, the extra information should help smooth out the pregame routine and make it easier for the Sun Devil crowd to settle in for one of the bigger home dates on the schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona State Faces An Early Test That Could Define This Offense
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Arizona State Faces A Big 12 Test That Could Expose Everything
Arizona State has already had enough in the first stretch of 2026 to know where the pressure points are. The Sun Devils opened with a lopsided loss, followed it with a narrow win fueled by turnovers and special teams, and then used a bye week to reset after a mixed start that has not hidden the flaws Kenny Dillingham has been talking about. The head coach has pointed directly to offensive struggles and a conservative approach, two issues that will matter even more as the schedule stiffens.
The defense has done its part by creating key takeaways, but the numbers beyond those turnovers have not been nearly as encouraging. The offense is also adjusting after the season-ending injury to Khamari Anderson, which leaves sophomore tight end A.J. Ia in line for a bigger role. How well Arizona State handles that shift, and whether the Sun Devils can become more than a team surviving on occasional splash plays, figures to say a lot about where this season is headed. [Read more 🡒]