“I think expectations aren’t real to us,” Kenny Dillingham said, before pointing out that “being the best version” is more relevant. That version got them the Big 12 championship and a playoff spot last year. Dillingham became an overnight hero. But this year, experts are convinced that 2024 was a one-off for the Sun Devils, predicting a downfall for this season. Now, Dillingham seems to be leaving it all to his players to counter this claim.

Kenny Dillingham is the second-youngest head coach in the FBS. He entered the season last year with almost no hopes of making it big. After all, he finished 3-9 in 2023, his debut year as ASU head coach. A year later, he silenced his critics by winning 11 games, making it ASU’s first double-digit win after 2014. This year, while fans will be rooting for him to keep the Big 12 title at Tempe, CBS Sports isn’t. None of the 9 contributors to an article about Big 12 championship contenders voted for ASU.

This season, the Sun Devils are projected to drop back down to single digits. They’re going to play a strong Utah squad, Iowa State, Texas State, and others. However, Kenny Dillingham’s recent comment is putting the onus on the squad to help silence the critics once again. When asked in a recent appearance about what makes a good team, he said, “Players win, not coaches.” He added, “So, talent, right? You have to be able to look out there and say, ‘Okay, We’re talented enough to win.’”

“So, we have that,” Dillingham claimed, setting the record straight. He lost his star player, Cam Skattebo, to the NFL, and all eyes will be on Sam Leavitt. He should have a replacement for the RB in Kanye Udoh, though. However, there’s also reason to cast doubt on the squad.

ASU won the 10 games in which Leavitt connected on 60% of his passes. When he didn’t meet that mark, the Sun Devils were 1-3. Leavitt won’t have the same backfield support because of Skattebo’s absence, which means his passing game needs to be the best it can be.

Defensively, however, ASU should not be disappointed. That side of the ball will feature several seniors, including Xavion Alford, Keyshaun Elliott, and Prince Durbah. However, are there going to be stars in ASU football this year? We’ll have to wait for the season to play out to see that.

But talent aside, Arizona State’s schedule alone is what is keeping CBS Sports miffed about the program keeping their Big 12 championship.

CBS Sports predicts a steep downward slope for Kenny Dillingham and Co.

It’s fair to give Kenny Dillingham the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the conference championship hopes. He started last in the conference last year, and ended up bringing the winningest season in a while for Tempe. However, a reason for that success is close wins. And it’s because of that, CBS Sports’ Richard Johnson picked the Devils as an ‘overrated’ team. “In a parity filled Big 12, it’s doubtful all those such results break their way again,” he wrote in his comments for the program.

Brad Crawford helped add to the dent with his own hot take. “After failing to get back to the Big 12 Championship, Arizona State misses a golden opportunity to reach the College Football Playoff as a potential at-large selection due to a shocking Week 2 upset loss at Mississippi State in one of September’s biggest surprises,” he wrote. And, there are more worrying projections for Kenny Dillingham’s talent-filled squad.

Tom Fornelli and Brandon Marcello were the only experts to at least keep the program in title-defending contention, ranking them 2 in the conference. Chip Paterson, John Talty, and Shehan Jeyarajah placed Arizona State at No. 3. Dillingham had already pulled off a surprise last year, and the momentum should motivate the team to help continue that trend this season. The question is, will he be able to prove the doubters wrong for the second time in a row?