Head coach: Kenny Dillingham, 3rd season (14-12)

2024 season: 11-3, 7-2 Big 12; Beat Iowa State, 45-19, in Big 12 title game; lost to Texas, 39-31 (OT) in CFP quarterfinals

Series with CU: ASU leads 10-4

Matchup with the Buffs: Saturday, Nov. 22 (TBA), at Folsom Field in Boulder

5 Guys to Watch

S Xavion Alford: He’s found a home at ASU, earning a starting job last year and securing first-team All-Big 12 honors. He posted 85 tackles, two interceptions and five pass breakups. Played at Texas in 2021 and USC in 2022 before transferring to ASU in 2023 (sitting out that season for the now-outdated NCAA transfer rule).

LB Keyshaun Elliott: Earned second-team All-Big 12 last year, with 65 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks and an interception. Prior to ASU, he spent two years at New Mexico State. In 2023 at NMSU, he had 111 tackles, 10 TFLs and 2.5 sacks, earning second-team all-conference honors.

QB Sam Leavitt: After spending his first year at Michigan State, he came to ASU last year, won the starting job and had a sensational year, earning second-team All-Big 12 honors. He completed 61.7% of his passes for 2,885 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions, while also finishing second on the team with 443 rushing yards (and five TDs).

TE Chamon Metayer: Caught 32 passes for 306 yards and five touchdowns last year, earning second-team All-Big 12 honors. Began his career with three seasons at Cincinnati before transferring to Colorado in December of 2023. He spent the spring 2024 semester at CU before jumping to ASU.

WR Jordyn Tyson: Flashing the star potential he showed at CU in 2022, Tyson was first-team All-Big 12 last year, hauling in 75 receptions for 1,101 yards and 10 touchdowns. As a true freshman at CU in 2022, he caught 22 passes for 470 yards and four TDs (and had a punt return TD) before a season-ending knee injury that also kept him out in 2023.

Good to know

• ASU won the first seven meetings against the Buffs (from 2006-2015), but CU has won four of the past seven.

• Although CU and ASU have been conference rivals since 2011, the Sun Devils have been to Boulder just once since 2018, securing a 42-34 victory on Oct. 29, 2022. Tyson, then a CU true freshman, had a huge game, with five catches for 115 yards and a touchdown and an 88-yard punt return for touchdown.

• Dillingham is the second-youngest head coach in the FBS, as he turned 35 on April 28. The only coach younger than him is Florida Atlantic’s Zach Kittley (who turns 34 on Aug. 14). Dillingham is a Phoenix native and ASU alum.

• The Sun Devils have seven home games this year, including four of the last six. They were 6-0 at home last year.

• ASU struggled on field goals last year, going 15-of-23 overall (65.2%) with three different kickers. To fix that, the Sun Devils added Jesus Gomez from Eastern Michigan. Over the past three years, he hit 46 of 58 field goals (79.3%), including 20 of 25 last year. He is 6-for-11 from 50-plus, with a long of 57 yards.

Portal movement

Per 247Sports.com, the Sun Devils lost 22 players to the transfer portal and added 17. None of the departures were significant contributors last year, although cornerback Laterrance Welch (now at UNLV) did have two interceptions within the 175 snaps he played. There could be several key players among the 17 coming in. The Sun Devils loaded up with a trio of receivers in Jaren Hamilton (Alabama), Noble Johnson (Clemson) and Jalen Moss (Fresno State). Former Mississippi, Colorado and Purdue corner Kyndrich Breedlove could be a starter, while Nyland Green (Purdue) and Adrian Wilson (Washington State) could compete for starting roles in the secondary. Running back Kanye Udoh (Army), offensive lineman Jimeto Obigbo (Texas State), and defensive lineman MyKeil Gardner (Oregon) may also push for starting jobs, while Jesus Gomez (Eastern Michigan) is the new kicker.