Duke football is set to close out a rollercoaster 2025 season with a high-stakes showdown in the Sun Bowl against Arizona State on New Year’s Eve. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. ET on CBS from Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas.
The Blue Devils enter the postseason riding a wave of momentum after capturing their eighth ACC championship in program history, edging out Virginia 27-20 in an overtime thriller. That win not only secured the conference crown but also capped off an 8-5 regular season that saw Duke battle through ups and downs, ultimately earning their fourth straight bowl appearance.
This year’s Sun Bowl marks the 92nd edition of one of college football’s oldest postseason games - and it brings a bit of history with it. The last (and only) time Duke and Arizona State met was in this very same bowl back in 2014, a game that went down to the wire before the Sun Devils pulled out a 36-31 win. So yes, there’s a bit of unfinished business here.
Arizona State comes in at 8-4 and will be looking to spoil Duke’s bid for a second consecutive nine-win season under second-year head coach Manny Diaz. Diaz has quickly reshaped the Blue Devils into a tough, resilient squad that’s shown it can hang with - and beat - some of the ACC’s best.
Let’s take a quick look at how Duke got here.
After opening the season with a convincing 45-17 win over Elon, the Blue Devils hit some turbulence. Losses to Illinois and Tulane in back-to-back weeks had the team searching for answers.
But things turned around in a hurry. Duke rattled off three straight wins, including a dominant 38-3 performance over Syracuse and a 45-21 rout of Cal.
The offense was clicking, the defense was opportunistic, and the team looked like a legitimate conference contender.
But the road wasn’t smooth from there. A loss to Georgia Tech and a heartbreaking 37-34 defeat at UConn slowed the momentum.
Still, Duke showed grit - especially in their 46-45 shootout win over Clemson, one of the wildest games of the ACC season. They closed the regular season strong with wins over UNC and Wake Forest before getting their revenge on Virginia in the ACC title game.
Now, they head into the Sun Bowl with a chance to finish the year on a high note - and notch their ninth win of the season.
As for the game itself, fans looking to attend can still find tickets across several platforms. Prices start as low as $30-$32 on sites like StubHub, VividSeats, and Ticketmaster, with premium seats climbing north of $300 depending on location. It’s a solid value for a bowl game that promises to be competitive, with two evenly matched teams and plenty of storylines to follow.
This Sun Bowl matchup isn’t just a postseason capstone - it’s a measuring stick. For Duke, it’s about continuing to build under Diaz, proving that last season’s success wasn’t a fluke, and setting the tone for 2026. For Arizona State, it’s a chance to reassert themselves on the national stage and finish strong.
One thing’s for sure: when the Blue Devils and Sun Devils meet in El Paso, expect fireworks. Both teams have shown they can score in bunches, and with a bit of history between them, there’s no shortage of motivation.