The Big 12 title race is wide open with the Sun Devils in the thick of it, controlling their own destiny with just one game separating the top five teams.
Through seven games, ASU football is in a similar, yet better spot than it was this time last season. They sport the same record, 5-2, but have a better conference record, 3-1, compared to 2-2, something that makes the Sun Devils better off in the Big 12.
As it sits, the Sun Devils are in a three-way tie for third place in the Big 12, but with their 26-22 win over Texas Tech, they kept themselves in a competitive conversation. The top of the conference is owned by BYU and Cincinnati, who are undefeated in conference play so far.
The Big 12 has been all over the place, with no clarity in sight. Something that head coach Kenny Dillingham has seen himself.
"This conference is just so deep across the board," Dillingham said. "You never know who can win any game. Anybody can beat anybody any week in this league, that's the challenge of the league."
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The Sun Devils' sole loss in the Big 12 came at Rice-Eccles Stadium at the hands of Utah, who sit below ASU at 2-2 in the conference. The Utes fell to Texas Tech, whom ASU holds a win over, and BYU, who narrowly beat them — further showing how close the conference is at the top.
The impact of ASU's win over Texas Tech changes much of what the Big 12 was shaped as. The Red Raiders still exhibit the best offensive and defensive ratings in the conference following the Sun Devils' victory, showcasing their dominance the whole season.
This is a positive sign for the Sun Devils, who were large underdogs coming into the game. Even after the win, redshirt sophomore Sam Leavitt sees the hectic nature of each week and how close the conference is.
"A bunch of people say that any week, any game can be a major upset," Leavitt said. "It's really true. I didn't think that last week (against Texas Tech) was an upset by any means, but it's pretty crazy."
Even through the craziness of the conference, one thing has been consistent for ASU: playing at home. Through the Sun Devils' time in the Big 12, they have yet to lose at Mountain America Stadium. No other team in the conference has been able to replicate the same success at home.
A large part of ASU's success at home has been its defense, which held the number one offense, Texas Tech (43.9 PPG), and TCU, which is tied for fourth (36.3 PPG), to under 25 points.
The biggest difference between road and home games: the student section.
"(That's) the reason we kick that way every game, starting down by that student section," said senior linebacker Keyshaun Elliott following the win over Texas Tech. "So it means a lot to us … they (false started) two or three times, so that's huge."
ASU's home field dominance will help its path to a potential second straight Big 12 Championship, as Saturday's matchup with Houston will be in Tempe. The Cougars sport a 3-1 conference record themselves. Following is a trip to Ames to take on Iowa State (2-2), which likely won't be an easy contest.
The final three games of the season are ones against teams with losing conference records in West Virginia (0-4), Colorado (1-3) and Arizona (1-3). The Sun Devils will need help from some of the other Big 12 teams; either BYU or Cincinnati will need to lose one or two games for ASU to take one of the top spots in the conference.
For Dillingham, he continues not to worry about the standings or how the table currently looks. He is focused on the task at hand and staying afloat in such a competitive conference.
"Every game has to be so singularly focused on; this is the most important game, and you've just got to survive," Dillingham said. "It's survive, all right, survive again. Take a deep breath for 12 hours and then survive and repeat for as long as you can go."
Edited by Alan Deutschendorf, Henry Smardo and Ellis Preston.
Reach the reporter at niall.rosenberg@gmail.com and follow @RosenbergNiall on X.
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Niall Rosenberg is a lead Sports Reporter at the State Press. He has previously worked with sports teams such as the Rockford Rivets of the Northwoods League. He is in his 2nd semester with the State Press with the chance to cover football and other sports.
