The Arizona State Sun Devils are working towards developing into a Big 12 power under head coach Kenny Dillingham.
Part of the climb to greater relevance is in scheduling, which is unfortunately a problem for the Sun Devils.
Arizona State is weathering massive changes in the college football landscape, including by adding a non-conference game to their 2027 schedule.
Akron is going to travel to Mountain America Stadium for the season opener on August 28, 2027 (FBS Schedules). Arizona State is set to pay Akron $1.15 million for the game.
Akron is coming off of a 5-7 season, so this isn’t an ideal outcome for Arizona State at the surface. However, this is the reality that the NIL and realignment era are presenting to the Sun Devils.
Arizona State is Victim of New Era
GettyKenny Dillingham is making the most of the current landscape.
The Sun Devils are reeling in part due to the SEC reshuffling the conference schedule.
Dillingham’s program is losing home-and-home series against Florida, Louisiana State, and Texas due to the SEC schedule expanding to nine games. Top SEC programs have no incentive to play a rising program such as ASU. A loss to the Sun Devils will be damaging to a team such as those aforementioned.
This puts Arizona State in a precarious position, as they are having to reschedule premier opponents with mid-major schools on average. This isn’t the end of the world, as the Big 12 presents them with defined opportunities to reach the College Football Playoff, but it does mean the margin for error is shrinking moving forward.
The Sun Devils are likely going to have to minimize non-conference losses moving forward, while beating Texas Tech and other rivals in the process.
Arizona State’s Dillingham Seeking to Take Advantage of Shifting Schedule
GettyDillingham is entering year four with Arizona State.
Arizona State is fully leaning into California-based scheduling in the midst of reshuffling. The Sun Devils are taking on Cal Poly next season in Tempe before playing a home-and-home against Stanford in 2031/32.
Dillingham is already exceeding in recruiting the state of Texas, as roughly half of the 2026 class hails from the state. Successfully tapping into Texas, while improving in keeping Arizona prospects in-state is solid progress.
Now, the Sun Devils and Dillingham must again become relevant in California. The west coast stalwart is reliably one of the most expansive states for producing quality talent. Arizona State scheduling games against Stanford and Cal Poly – while leaving space for other programs in the state – is a phenomenal strategy to rebuild their presence in the state.
Jayden Daniels, Vontaze Burfict, and Brandon Aiyuk are just a few former Sun Devils that hail from California. Re-establishing the program as a power in Southern California is one of the cleanest avenues for Dillingham to further assert himself. It doesn’t hurt the profile of the Big 12, either.
For now, the Sun Devils are continuing a series against SEC competition over the next two seasons. Arizona State plays Texas A&M on the road this season on September 12. They make a return trip to Tempe on September 11.
Arizona State Adds New Non-Conference Opponent to Schedule