It’s a new era for Arizona State football, with Chandler native Kenny Dillingham assuming the reins from Herm Edwards, who was fired last fall.
Dillingham takes over a program that’s coming off its worst season in 28 years, with the Sun Devils going 3-9 overall and 2-7 in Pac-12 play.
Last season was ASU’s worst year-end result since the Sun Devils went 3-8 under Bruce Snyder in 1994 and just the ninth time in the school’s 89-year history the program won three games or less.
Fast forward a few months, and it appears oddsmakers for sportsbooks in Arizona aren’t riding high on ASU’s chances in Dillingham’s first year.
Caesars Sportsbook Arizona lists ASU at +25000 to win the Pac-12, ranking 11th overall, coming in just ahead of Stanford, who is listed at +30000. BetMGM Sportsbook Arizona lists the Sun Devils at +50000 to win the national title in 2023.
ASU Rankings
- Recruiting Ranking (247 Sports): 9th in Pac-12 (20 commits)/47th nationally
- Pac 12 Odds (Caesars Sportsbook Arizona): +25000
- National Title Odds (BetMGM Sportsbook Arizona): +50000
Who Could Stand Out in Tempe This Fall?
There are far more questions than answers about who will line up on both sides of the ball for ASU when they kick off the 2023 season against Southern Utah on Aug. 31 — Arizona sportsbook promos will be available at BetArizona.com.
At quarterback, returning starter Trenton Bourguet could very well win the job after throwing for 1,490 yards and 11 scores (to six interceptions) as a redshirt junior in 2022.
Incoming freshman Jaden Rashada could also contend for the starting job, with the four-star signal caller ranking as the seventh best QB in the class of 2023 per 247 Sports.
Former Notre Dame QB Drew Pyne also figures to get some snaps this spring.
Fifth-year running back Xazavian Valladay is off to the NFL after running for 1,192 yards and 16 scores. Finding his replacement could prove difficult, given the transfer of backup Daniyel Ngata to Washington. That leaves ASU with zero backs that ran for more than 100 yards a season ago.
ASU 2023 Football Schedule
- Aug. 31: Southern Utah (5-6 in FCS)
- Sept. 9: Oklahoma State (7-6 in Big-12)
- Sept. 16: Fresno State (10-4 in Mountain West)
- Sept. 23: USC (11-3 in Pac-12)
- Sept. 30: Cal (4-8 in Pac-12)
- Oct. 7: at Colorado (1-11 in Pac-12)
- Oct. 21: at Washington (11-2 in Pac-12)
- Oct. 28: Washington State (7-6 in Pac-12)
- Nov. 4: at Utah (10-4 in Pac-12)
- Nov. 11: at UCLA (9-4 in Pac-12)
- Nov. 18: Oregon (10-3 in Pac-12)
- Nov. 25: Arizona (5-7 in Pac-12)
- Total 2022 Record: 90-64 (.584)
ASU Faces Daunting Schedule In 2023
If Dillingham can figure out the skill positions, then ASU will have a solid shot at starting the year on a strong note, with four straight home games to open the year.
From there, ASU’s quest for bowl eligibility takes a turn for the difficult, as it squares off against California and Colorado in Year One of the Deion Sanders era, before pivoting to the Washington schools, Utah and UCLA in a four week stretch.
ASU will look to recapture the Territorial Cup from Arizona in the team’s season finale on Nov. 25, putting the 2023 regular season to bed on its home turf.
With some mixture of good luck and health, ASU could very well make it back to a bowl game for the fourth time in the last six years.
