Arizona State and Kenny Dillingham are caught right in the bullseye of the storm—literally and figuratively. What was supposed to be a promising bounce-back stretch got washed away in a 42-10 blowout loss to Kyle Whittingham’s Utah. The Sun Devils entered the season ranked No. 11 in the nation, but as Hurricane Priscilla’s remnants battered Arizona with flooding and chaos, the team found itself weathering a storm of its own. Fast forward to Week 7, and they’re sitting at 4-2 — yet off the field, the situation in Tempe is nothing short of catastrophic.

On October 13, Sun Devils insider Blake Niemann took to X to show the aftermath of Hurricane Priscilla, which had shredded parts of Arizona State’s stadium: “So a sudden rainstorm just hit Tempe. The field is completely drenched right now. Some of the labeling and banners have been ravaged in a way. The tunnel banner has completely fallen down. Crazy weather days here in Arizona!” The damage goes way beyond the stadium.

The remnants of Hurricane Priscilla, which weakened into a tropical storm, swept through Arizona in October and caused major weather disruptions. The storm brought unusually heavy rainfall for the month, leading to flash flooding across several areas, including Tempe, Phoenix, Mesa, and Scottsdale. Officials issued multiple flood warnings as streets filled with water and visibility dropped, creating hazardous travel conditions. The Arizona Fall League and other local sports events were also affected by the severe weather.

Tempe experienced some of the worst impacts on Monday, as a powerful thunderstorm hit the city. The intense rainfall caused flooding in several neighborhoods, along with storm damage such as downed trees and scattered debris. Mountain America Stadium, home to Arizona State University football, also sustained minor damage from the heavy winds and rain. Local emergency services were kept busy responding to calls of flooded roads and damaged property across the area.

The storm also led to widespread power outages throughout Maricopa County. By 2:00 p.m. local time, more than 36,000 homes and businesses were without electricity. The Salt River Project (SRP) reported over 26,000 outages, while the Arizona Public Service Company (APS) reported nearly 7,000 more. Although Hurricane Priscilla didn’t make landfall in Arizona, its lingering moisture pushed deep into the state, bringing over two inches of rain to the Phoenix area and even higher totals in southeastern and northern parts of Arizona! On the field, the Sun Devils are facing a catastrophic level of threat this weekend.

Kenny Dellingham on Texas Tech

Kenny Dillingham and the Arizona State Sun Devils are set to face Joey McGuire’s undefeated Texas Tech squad—a team making headlines for spending a fortune of $28 million on NIL deals this season. Ahead of the matchup, Dillingham broke his silence on McGuire’s big-money approach during his press conference. Blake Niemann posted the clip on X, noting Dillingham’s take on what it means for a program to be all-in: “Yeah, I mean, I think all-in is constantly changing. I think all-in is saying, wherever, you know, the top end is, we’re gonna get there… And that number’s changing, and that’s what all-in is, is constantly changing.” While Arizona State is still recovering from storm damage and inconsistent play, Dillingham showed nothing but respect for how McGuire and Texas Tech have embraced the new era of college football.

McGuire’s Red Raiders have become one of the most aggressive NIL-driven programs in the country. With the financial backing of Texas oil money, Texas Tech landed 21 transfers and completely revamped their roster, especially on the defense side, by bringing players like David Bailey (Stanford, the best player in the portal) and Romello Height (Georgia Tech). The investment is paying off handsomely—the Red Raiders are 5-0 and have beaten every opponent by at least 23+ points.

Dillingham explained it best: “It’s like, the person in seat 1 goes all-in… another 100 bucks… 400 bucks… all-in’s changing,” His point was simple — what it takes to compete keeps rising, and programs like Texas Tech are setting the bar. While McGuire’s spending spree raised eyebrows across the Power 5, Dillingham’s words showered admiration for the boldness it takes to stay competitive in the NIL era — something Arizona State hopes to match in the near future.