Arizona State entered the season with high hopes of making it back to the College Football Playoff but that quest quickly went off the rails thanks to an early-season loss at the hands of Mississippi State. A blowout defeat to Utah soon followed and last week's 24–16 stumble against Houston likely put the final nail in the coffin in terms of any a Big 12 title hopes as well.
Things went from bad to worse in that contest as standout quarterback Sam Leavitt went down with a leg injury and tried to play through the pain before eventually leaving for good. Arizona State was not expecting him to be available this weekend against Iowa State, but it now appears that they won't have his services for the remainder of 2025.
