Does Arizona State have the potential to snatch a national championship opportunity from a Southeastern Conference or Big Ten program at some point?
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Fans of the Sun Devils are excited for the future. ASU inked its head coach, Kenny Dillingham, to a five-year extension and increased his staff salary to 11 million.
Arizona State understands how important it is to back its guy with the resources needed to compete with the elite schools. Graham Rossini, ASU’s athletics director, desires for the program to be special in the Big 12.
Arizona State’s top tackler, Keyshaun Elliot, declares for 2026 NFL Draft
Dillingham, 35, led the Sun Devils to a conference championship and a College Football Playoff berth in 2024. Gene Smith, Arizona State’s former AD, loves the leadership of Dillingham and Rossini. He views the institution as a ‘sleeping giant’ in college football with the duo. Smith believes ASU needs to take seize the moment in the Big 12 with Dillingham and Rossini.
Former AD Gene Smith say he still believes Arizona State is a “sleeping giant” and the best leadership is in place to take advantage of the moment 🙌
“Graham Rossini is an outstanding athletic director… and obviously Kenny.” pic.twitter.com/GTEdvLzkGp
— PHNX Sun Devils (@PHNX_SunDevils) December 22, 2025
The conference was once an area with high-powered offenses ran wild, but now physicality has entered the Big 12.
Smith stated this is a time where everyone needs to rally around Arizona State to keep it on a trajectory to consistently win conference championships and position itself to be a national title contender.
Stephen M. Smith is a writer for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @CoachingMSmith.
