Arizona State, the same squad folks laughed off two years ago, just turned college football on its head—and now the desert’s louder than a sold-out concert show. Ticket sales? Exploding. Student section? About to look like a music festival. And Kenny Dillingham? He’s pulling strings like a Vegas magician, promising fans once-in-a-lifetime perks just for showing up. Welcome to “Activate the Valley,” where loyalty comes with frequent flyer miles.

Last year, ASU went from Big 12 basement memes to prime-time darlings, ripping off 11 wins, bagging the Big 12 crown, and nearly knocking Texas into next season in a double-overtime playoff thriller. Suddenly, everyone wants a piece of the Sun Devils. Vegas has them sitting at +550 to win the Big 12 again, and if you think that’s just a one-season wonder run by Kenny Dillingham and Cam Skattebo, think again. Dillingham’s crew isn’t sneaking up on anybody this time—they’re walking in with smoke.

And now, Dillingham’s rallying cry is working in the one place that matters most on Saturdays: the stands. “I mean our ticket sales, unbelievable. I think it’s 7,700-7,800 new season ticket [holders], supposed to hopefully have 14,000 students out there, almost a 98% renewal right now,” Dillingham said on August 25. He didn’t sound shocked—he sounded like a man who expected this all along. But he quickly added, “It’s what I hoped it can become, but it’s not where it needs to be… You’re always climbing. The moment you get there is the moment you go down the other side.” That’s a coach dangling the carrot, knowing he’s only scratching the surface.

Arizona State insider Cameron Cox doubled down on the buzz, posting on X that ASU is expecting 14,000 students and is already closing in on a sellout crowd for the opener against Northern Arizona. Think about that: a season opener against an FCS (NAU) team on August 30, and Tempe is about to be rocking like it’s Bama coming to town. That’s literally a cultural shift for a desert program.

The secret sauce? Dillingham and AD Graham Rossini found a way to make loyalty cool. If season ticket holders keep their seats filled for all seven home games, show up for every home game—or make sure your seats are filled—whether they show up or pass their tickets to another die-hard Sun Devil—You’re entered to win a road trip with the team next season. It’s genius. The Valley of the Sun has been starving for a consistent powerhouse, and Dillingham’s feeding them like it’s an all-you-can-eat buffet. Between incentives, an indoor practice facility doubling as a tailgate palace, it’s exactly the type of thing that turns casual fans into die-hards overnight.

The rallying cry—Activate the Valley—has turned into more than a hashtag. It’s an attitude that’s uniting Phoenix, Tempe, and beyond. Students, alumni, even locals with no real ties are flocking to Mountain America Stadium because this feels like something bigger than football. It’s loud, it’s proud, it’s community. And make no mistake, Dillingham’s got receipts to show it’s working.

Can ASU run it back in 2025?

Here’s the million-dollar question: was 2024 lightning in a bottle, or is this Sun Devil train here to stay? Nationally, the respect is real. A panel of ESPN experts had Arizona State stamped into multiple College Football Playoff brackets. Kyle Bonagura has them squaring off against Alabama. Eli Lederman pairs them with Georgia. Mark Schlabach? Also Bama. Translation: the suits expect ASU to win the Big 12 again, but not the top 4 teams.

Oddsmakers are cautious, too. BetUS has ASU as high as No. 12 in their rankings, while RJ Young slid them in at No. 23 in his 136-team ranking. The win total line? 8.5, with money shading toward the under. Here’s why believers think ASU can silence the doubters again: 79% of last year’s production is back. That’s the second and third highest returning marks in all of college football. Quarterback Sam Leavitt, who dropped over 3,300 total yards and 29 touchdowns, is still slinging. His partner in crime, wideout Jordyn Tyson, is still torching DBs. And oh yeah, 9 starters return on defense, a unit that made life miserable for Big 12 quarterbacks last fall.

The roadblocks? Losing Cam Skattebo. The Giants RB had 2,316 total yards and 24 touchdowns last year. You don’t just replace that. And the schedule is a gauntlet—road trips to Baylor, Utah, and Iowa State are no joke. That’s why the two-loss projection keeps showing up in playoff predictions. Fair or not, that might be the ceiling unless the run game finds a new hero.

Still, the idea of Arizona State being in the same postseason conversation as Alabama and Georgia is wild considering where they were two years ago. That’s Dillingham’s magic. He made ASU relevant, then dangerous, and now? Borderline terrifying. He’s right: you’re never at the peak. And that’s bad news for the rest of the Big 12, because this climb isn’t slowing down.