A loss, let alone a lopsided loss, in a rivalry game is never an easy pill to swallow, but Arizona State athletic director Graham Rossini said that result actually allowed himself and the football program to absorb a “healthy dose of perspective.”
Even pregame on Black Friday, Rossini had a rare moment to “soak” in the sell-out crowds regardless of if Sam Leavitt or Jeff Sims was under center.
From a 3-9 team in the first year of the Kenny Dillingham era to having a shot at 20 wins in the past two seasons, ASU saw its stock rise not only in the Big 12 but in the grander eyes of the FBS.
“In that moment (after losing the Territorial Cup to Arizona), you could see the guys start to really kind of take stock of where we’re going,” Rossini told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo on Thursday. “The trend line is strong for Sun Devil football.
“And independent of how that game ended, we feel like we’re in a very strong place to continue to build this thing moving forward.”
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Rossini echoed Dillingham’s positive spin toward the grander goal of 20 wins in the immediate aftermath of the Territorial Cup in Tempe. ASU hasn’t accomplished this feat since the 2013-14 seasons, in which coach Todd Graham and quarterback Taylor Kelly were at the forefront of 10-4 and 10-3 records, respectively.
You have to flip in the Sun Devils’ record books back to 1996-97 for the next most recent occurrence of 20 wins in a two-season span (1996: 11-1, 1997: 9-3).
In order to get that ninth win this season to reach that magic number and a sure sign of program stability, ASU will have to emerge as victors of a soon-to-be announced bowl game.
Bowl game matchups will be revealed on Sunday and ASU was placed in the Sun Bowl by four out of five experts.
Rossini said there’s obvious “romance” tied to the Sun Devils competing in historically traditional Pac-12 bowls like the Sun Bowl, Holiday Bowl and LA Bowl, but the reality of competing in the Big 12 and College Football Playoff refinement may mean this time around is a “swan song” of sorts.
“We’re looking at ways to play in California as often as we can, nonconference games, obviously bowl games. … That’s really important for recruiting. That’s really important for activating our fan base in L.A., Orange County, Southern (California), San Diego, et cetera,” Rossini said.
“We’re just thankful for the opportunity to get a chance to play a 13th game, and we want to get that win.”
The Sun Devils are 15-17-1 in their bowl-game history, with their last win being in the 2019 Sun Bowl against Florida State. Jayden Daniels was at QB.
ASU’s Rossini says recent coaching chaos demands ‘national standards’
Though the Lane Kiffin saga with his abrupt departure from Ole Miss for LSU has been a novel development for some observers, Rossini said the situation is not all that surprising with how the FBS has made its bed.
“What we’ve done as an industry, what … pressure (we’ve put) on coaches in this industry, you’re seeing it take a massive toll,” Rossini said.
The AD provided an even more recent example within the Big 12, as Kansas State coach Chris Klieman stepped down on Wednesday. His sudden retirement announcement is a sign of “saying enough is enough” to Rossini, who said Klieman was considered “one of the best football minds in the conference.”
Arizona State’s Graham Rossini explains to @BurnsAndGambo how ASU navigates the chaos that goes on this time of year for college football.
“We need national standards to recruiting calendars. We need a better way to navigate the coaching carousel in a way that doesn’t exist yet… pic.twitter.com/MKO6IcMNzA
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) December 4, 2025
“I think there’s too much jockeying and positioning that happens within each conference, that we’ve got to make better national decision-making. I think back to a conversation we had in January on the heels of the CFP. We need national standards for officiating. We need national standards to recruiting calendars.
“We need a better way to navigate the coaching carousel in a way that doesn’t exist yet in college athletics.”
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