Arizona State

Arizona State's offseason was defined by aggressive portal work and fixing their special teams mess. The Sun Devils added 24 transfers including quarterback Cutter Boley from Kentucky and receiver Omarion Miller from Colorado, offsetting the departures of Sam Leavitt to LSU and All-Big 12 receiver Jordyn Tyson to the NFL. Their defense grades out 28th nationally at +3.8 points — the foundation that carried last year's 8-4 breakthrough — while the offense sits at a modest 54th despite the new pieces. Running back Raleek Brown also bolted for Texas, but receiver Reed Harris from Boston College joins Miller to rebuild the passing attack around the new signal-caller.

JP+ projects 6.9 wins for Arizona State, positioning them as a middle-tier Big 12 contender with upside if the quarterback transition goes smoothly. The special teams unit dragged them down to 113th nationally last season, costing crucial points in close games, but targeted fixes there could swing multiple outcomes. Road trips to Texas Tech, Texas A&M, and BYU will test their ceiling, while home dates against Kansas State and non-conference opponents Hawaii and Morgan State offer bounce-back opportunities. If Boley quickly grasps the system and the defense maintains its top-30 standard, another 8-9 win season beckons. If quarterback growing pains linger and special teams remain broken, they're looking at 5-6 wins and missing bowl season.