The Arizona State Sun Devils compete in the Pac-12 Conference and are a member of the South Division. This is not one of the biggest college football programs in the country, but there have been some terrific seasons in the history of the program.
Arizona State has posted an overall record of 620-395-24, and the school has a pair of unclaimed National titles back in the 1970s. The Sun Devils have made 32 bowl game appearances, posting a record of 15-16-1 in those 32 tries.
Herm Edwards is currently the coach of the Arizona State Sun Devils, and he has struggled to find much success as the leader of this program. Since he took over the job, Arizona State has gone just 17-13 and has never really been a threat to win the Pac-12 Conference.
The biggest rivalry for the Arizona State Sun Devils is with the University of Arizona, and those are always the most important games of the year. The last Pac-12 South Division title came back in 2013, and that was actually the only time that the Sun Devils have accomplished that feat.
Last year’s results
The 2020 season for Arizona State was extremely strange, but that was actually the case for most teams across the country. The Pac-12 Conference canceled the college football season on August 11, 2020, but ultimately reversed that decision later in the Fall.
Arizona State had a number of games canceled a season ago, and they were only able to play just four games. The Sun Devils posted a 2-2 record in those four games, but it was hard to get a good read on the strengths and weaknesses of that team.
The Sun Devils nearly upset the USC Trojans in the first game of the year but ultimately suffered a 28-27 defeat. After three straight games were canceled due to COVID-19 protocols, the Sun Devils suffered a 25-18 loss to UCLA to fall to 0-2 on the year.
The highlight of the 2020 season came on December 11 when the Sun Devils went to Arizona and came away with a 70-7 victory. This was a dominating performance in the rivalry game and could be something for Arizona State to build on in 2021.
Arizona State wrapped up the 2020 season by picking up a 46-33 win over Oregon State to end the year at 2-2. The Sun Devils announced that they would not be participating in any bowl games, but they likely would have been selected to one.
Conference/Division outlook
The Pac-12 South Division is typically the much deeper division in the conference, and that should be the case yet again in 2021. Here are the teams that are in the South Division:
- Arizona
- Arizona State
- Colorado
- UCLA
- USC
- Utah
The biggest name in the Pac-12 South is the USC Trojans, as they are typically considered one of the powerhouse programs in college football. USC won the Pac-12 South a season ago after going 5-1.
UCLA is another traditional power in the Pac-12 South, but the Bruins have fallen on some tough times over the last decade. Utah does not have a long history in this division, but the Utes have put together some dominant teams over the last 10 years.
Arizona State has traditionally been in the middle of the pack when it comes to football, and Arizona and Colorado are usually near the bottom. Colorado had a strong team in 2020, while Arizona was one of the worst teams in the conference.
USC and Utah should be two of the better teams in the country this season and will likely compete for the division title. Arizona State could make a run, but it will likely be an uphill battler.
The Pac-12 North Division is made up of:
- California
- Oregon
- Oregon State
- Stanford
- Washington
- Washington State
This division is not nearly as strong, and it is one that is usually dominated by Oregon and Stanford. Washington has had some good teams recently, but it is usually the Ducks or Cardinal that come out on top.
The winner of the Pac-12 North and Pac-12 South Division will meet up in the Pac-12 Championship Game each season. The conference champ is then awarded a trip to the Rose Bowl Game to face off against the Big Ten Conference champion.
Playing in the Rose Bowl Game is one of the biggest honors for a college football player or program as it is the most recognizable of all of the bowl games.
Key additions
The Arizona State Sun Devils have a number of players returning in 2021, and there aren’t many holes to fill on this roster. With that being said, Arizona State went out and brought in some talented recruits and also found some talent in the transfer portal.
Two of the best additions to this roster will come from transfers, and both are on the offensive side of the ball. The Sun Devils could potentially have an explosive offense this season, especially if quarterback Jayden Daniels remains on the field.
Tight end Jalin Conyers comes to ASU from Oklahoma, and he was one of the best tight end prospects in the country when he was in high school. Conyers will add another weapon to an offense that scored more than 40 points per game a season ago.
Wide receivers Elijhah Badger and Bryan Thompson are expected to make big contributions this season, and both are new to the team. Badger sat out of the 2020 season with academic issues, and Thompson is a transfer from Utah.
There will be some freshmen that make some contributions this season as well, but there just aren’t that many open starting spots for them to take. Head coach Herm Edwards has to feel pretty good about the roster that he has assembled, especially on offense.
Key subtractions
The NCAA has made transferring to another school much easier for all sports, and the transfer portal has been busy when it comes to college football. Arizona State’s last 15 players to the transfer portal, but they were able to keep all of their key players.
Only a handful of the players that have transferred out have found new college homes, and you won’t see any stars missing from Arizona State in 2021. There were some players that graduated after the 2020 season, but not a lot of real talent.
Wide receiver Frank Darby was a 6th round selection of the Atlanta Falcons, making it three straight years that the Sun Devils have had a wide receiver selected. Darby was a solid performer at Arizona State, but the Sun Devils brought in plenty of talent to replace that production.
Schedule Breakdown
- September 2 (vs. Southern Utah)
- September 11 (vs. UNLV)
- September 18 (at BYU)
- September 25 (vs. Colorado)
- October 2 (at UCLA)
- October 8 (vs. Stanford)
- October 16 (at Utah)
- October 30 (vs. Washington State)
- November 6 (vs. USC)
- November 13 (at Washington)
- November 20 (at Oregon State)
- November 27 (vs. Arizona)
- December 3 (Pac-12 Title Game)
The 2021 season starts off with a pair of very winnable games against Southern Utah and UNLV. Things start to get a little tougher in Week 3 with a trip to Utah to face the BYU Cougars.
Arizona State is catching a big break this season as they are set to host both USC and Colorado, and those teams are two of the best in the Pac-12 South Division. Playing these games at home could allow the Sun Devils to make a real run at the division title.
The Sun Devils are also drawing Oregon State, Washington, Washington State, and Stanford from the North Division, which means they don’t have to deal with Oregon and California. Those four teams are tough, but avoiding the Ducks is always an advantage.
The 2021 season will once again wrap up with a matchup against Arizona, but this time the game will be played in Tempe. Arizona will be looking for some revenge after suffering a 63-point loss a season ago.
Betting Breakdown
Win Total
The current win total for Arizona State is set at 9.0 wins, and that would make the Sun Devils one of the best teams in the country. The Sun Devils are going to spend much of the season in the top-25, especially if they are able to go over nine wins and get to 10.
Conference Odds
Oregon (+250) and Washington (+350) are the only teams with better odds to win the Pac-12 Conference than Arizona State at +400. Oregon and Washington will battle it out in the North, while the Sun Devils will be in the South.
USC is tied with Arizona State at +400, and Utah isn’t far behind at +600.
Division Odds
The Pac-12 South is expected to be a very tight race in 2021, at least with the top three teams. The current betting odds are very close, and Arizona State is actually at the top of the list.
Here are the Pac-12 South Division odds:
- Arizona State +200
- USC +200
- Utah +250
- UCLA +750
- Colorado +1400
- Arizona +10000
The only thing that appears clear when looking at these odds is that Arizona is going to have a long season.
Odds to Win National Title
Arizona State currently has odds set at +10000 to win a National title, and that doesn’t give them a ton of hope. The Pac-12 Conference has struggled to compete on a national stage, and making the College Football Playoffs has been a challenge for this league.
The Sun Devils are one of the Pac-12 teams receiving some decent odds, but the powerhouse teams from the SEC and Big 12 are topping the list.
