Big 12 Notes – Arizona State Week

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Big 12 Notes – Arizona State Week

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November 19th

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ASU’s Sam Leavitt may become one of the top (read: expensive) transfer prospects

From CBS Sports … The first big splash of the 2025 transfer cycle did not come Tuesday, but rumor season kicked off in earnest with reports that Arizona State star quarterback Sam Leavitt is considering the transfer portal for the 2026 season.

Whispers of Leavitt possibly leaving aren’t new. It’s been an open discussion point among industry sources since Leavitt’s season ended early with a foot injury in late October.

Arizona State is set to lose a good chunk of its starting 22 to graduation or the NFL, and the Sun Devils are expected to have significant work to do in the portal to rebuild.

Leavitt would be a big part of that 2026 effort. He’d also be expensive.

The sheer math of the situation may make it hard for Arizona State to retain Leavitt if it got into a bidding war. And even if it kept him, it might prevent the Sun Devils from building a quality roster beyond QB1.

All of that said, Leavitt hasn’t made a final decision on his future, nor has the Sun Devil staff been informed of his impending departure. Leavitt’s brother, Dallin, aggressively shot down a report that Sam was leaving, stating that he is “still deciding what to do.” CBS Sports reached out to Dallin, a former NFL player who helps with his brother’s process, and he referred to his post on his Instagram story.

… Continue reading story here …

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November 17th

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Arizona State still alive in Big 12 race

… Scenario below if all of these teams finished with 7-2 Big 12 conference records. For ASU to get into the title game (against Texas Tech), the Sun Devils need to beat CU and Arizona, then hope for a BYU loss (BYU is currently 6-1 in Big 12 play) and a loss by Utah (loses in tie-breaker, below) …

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November 16th

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Big 12 Lines: CU opens as 7.5-point home underdog to Arizona State

From DraftKings …

Big 12 Week 13 games …

• Kansas at Iowa State … 10:00 a.m., MT, FS1 … Iowa State is a 4.0-point home favorite …
• Baylor at Arizona … 11:00 a.m., MT, TNT … Arizona is a 6.5-point home favorite …
• Kansas State at No. 13 Utah … 2:00 p.m., MT, ESPN2 … Utah is a 16.5-point home favorite …
• TCU at No. 25 Houston … 2:00 p.m., MT, Fox … Houston is a 3.0-point home favorite …
• Oklahoma State at UCF … 2:00 p.m., MT, ESPN+ … UCF is a 14.5-point home favorite …
• No. 11 BYU at Cincinnati … 6:00 p.m., MT, Fox … Cincinnati is a 2.5-point home underdog …
• Arizona State at Colorado … 6:00 p.m., MT, ESPN2 … Colorado is a 7.5-point home underdog …

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AP Poll: Cincinnati falls out; Houston in at No. 25

From ESPN … Georgia moved up one spot to No. 4 in The Associated Press college football poll Sunday, Oklahoma returned to the top 10, and North Texas, ranked for the first time since 1959, is among three Group of 5 teams in the Top 25.

Ohio State, Indiana and Texas A&M were the top three teams for the fifth straight week. Georgia earned its highest ranking since the first week of September and Ole Miss was back in the top five after spending three weeks there at midseason.

Oregon and Texas Tech were tied for No. 6, and Oklahoma rose three spots to No. 8 following its win at Alabama. The last time the Sooners were in the top 10 was the second week of October (when they were No. 6).

Notre Dame remained No. 9 after a 22-point win at Pittsburgh, and Alabama dropped six spots to No. 10 after the Sooners ended its eight-game win streak.

Ohio State, which rolled past UCLA to improve to 10-0 for the fourth time in seven seasons, received 57 of 66 first-place votes. Indiana, which beat Wisconsin to go 11-0 for the first time, got eight first-place votes. Texas A&M, whose comeback from a 27-point deficit to beat South Carolina was its largest ever, got one first-place vote, three fewer than last week.

No. 13 Utah has outscored three opponents by a combined 153-49 since losing at BYU and has its highest ranking of the season.

Others receiving votes: Navy 61, Illinois 31, SMU 28, Arizona State 19, Louisville 17, Iowa 14, Pittsburgh 12, San Diego State 12, UNLV 9, Arizona 9, Washington 8, South Florida 6, East Carolina 4, UConn 1

Dropped from rankings: Louisville 19, Cincinnati 22, Pittsburgh 23, South Florida 25

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November 15th

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Arizona State survives West Virginia comeback, kicks a late field goal to win, 25-23

From ESPN … Jeff Sims accounted for 288 yards and three touchdowns, Jesus Gomez kicked a 49-yard field goal in the fourth quarter and Arizona State kept its Big 12 title hopes alive with a 25-23 win over West Virginia on Saturday.

The Sun Devils (7-3, 5-2 Big 12) returned from their bye week still in the hunt for a second straight Big 12 championship, entering Saturday’s game a game behind No. 8 Texas Tech with six teams in the mix to play in the Dec. 6 title game.

Arizona State gave up two fourth-quarter touchdowns to blow a 12-point lead, but kept its title hopes alive with Gomez’s field goal and Keith Abney II’s interception with 1:30 left.

Sims threw for 207 yards and three touchdowns on 19-of-28 passing, adding 81 yards on 17 carries rushing.

The Mountaineers (4-7, 2-6) turned it over on downs on two trips inside Arizona State’s 6-yard line, but rallied with two big passing plays on breakdowns by the Sun Devils.

Jeff Weimer scored on a 75-yard touchdown in the second quarter on a seam pass from Scotty Fox Jr. when Arizona State left the middle of the field open. Cyncir Bowers turned a swing pass on a third-and-27 into a 90-yard touchdown by weaving his way through half of Arizona State’s defense to put the Mountaineers up 23-22 in the fourth quarter.

Fox threw for 353 yards and two touchdowns, but also had the late interception.

Sims took over Arizona State’s offense after Sam Leavitt had season-ending foot surgery two weeks ago and set a school quarterback record with 228 yards rushing in a 24-19 win over Iowa State.

Sims opened with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Chamon Metayer and followed with a 19-yard TD pass to Derek Eusebio, who got a key block from Metayer. Sims threw his third touchdown pass late in the half, whipping a ball to running back Raleek Brown in the face of an all-out blitz for a 33-yard touchdown that gave the Sun Devils a 22-10 halftime lead.

… Continue reading story here …

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Kansas State needs five turnovers to defeat 1-8 Oklahoma State, 14-6

From ESPN … Kansas State forced five turnovers in a 14-6 win over Oklahoma State on Saturday.

All of the Wildcats’ points came off of those turnovers.

“Our guys showed up and our guys made play after play after play,” Kansas State coach Chris Klieman said of his defense.

The offense wasn’t so good. Kansas State, which had averaged 34.2 points in its previous five games, was held to 284 yards. Despite that, the Wildcats held on for their third win in four games.

Kansas State, a 19 1/2-point favorite according to , didn’t care about the margin of victory. Klieman lost his previous three trips to Oklahoma State as the Wildcats’ coach.

“This is a hard place to play, so we’re going to enjoy this win,” he said. “I’m not apologizing for a win in Stillwater because it’s dang hard to win here.”

Avery Johnson passed for 177 yards and Joe Jackson added 69 yards rushing and a touchdown for the Wildcats (5-5, 4-3 Big 12), who need one more win to become bowl eligible.

Zane Flores passed for 233 yards for Oklahoma State (1-9, 0-7), but he threw two interceptions and lost two fumbles. Oklahoma State has lost nine straight, and seven straight under interim coach Doug Meacham.

“We just want it so bad for these kids,” Meacham said. “You’ve got to look them in the eye every day. And they go to it, they work hard and they believe what you tell them and you sell them on an idea and a scheme. They believe in you, and you go out there and you fall short. Just like eventually, it kind of wears you out, you know what I mean?”

Kansas State did not score until eight minutes into the second quarter. The Wildcats got a first down by penalty after it appeared the Cowboys stopped them on a fourth-and-1, and Jayce Brown caught a 34-yard touchdown pass from Johnson on the next play. The extra point put Kansas State up 7-6 — a score that held up at halftime.

… Continue reading story here …

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November 13th

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CBS Sports: Already speculating on Rick George’s announcement on the future of Coach Prime

… Tweet from KOA CU game announcer Mark Johnson … And, BTW…I’m getting inundated with “Does this affect Coach Prime at CU?” questions…A has nothing to do with B. This didn’t come out of nowhere…it’s been known that Rick’s contract was coming up in late June. Rick will still be around and we’ll hire a GREAT new AD

From CBS Sports … Colorado athletic director Rick George will step away from his role in July 2026, he announced on Thursday. George, who hired Buffaloes football coach Deion Sanders, will transition into a special adviser position and assist the university chancellor and new athletic director. It is a move several months in the making, he said, and will bring an end to his 13-year run as athletic director.

George is highly regarded nationally for his achievements with the Colorado athletic department. Under his watch, the school set records in fundraising, ticket sales and revenue and leapt to the forefront of the college football landscape as a result of his hiring of Sanders. George earned the 2023-24 Athletic Director of the Year award, as voted on by his peers.

Colorado said George will continue to assist in “revenue-generating initiatives” in his advisory role. The university will announce at a later date its timeline for hiring a successor to the athletic director position.

“I wanted to make this announcement now in order to give chancellor Schwartz plenty of time to find the right person for Colorado, and I look forward to doing everything I can to ensure a smooth transition,” George said. “I also wanted to time my announcement so that I could support coach Prime and our football team this season, which I’m looking forward to continuing in my new role.”

With every athletic director change comes questions about their coaches’ job security. When new leadership arrives, coaches’ leashes often become shorter as their new bosses seek to ensure success early in their tenures. For Sanders, Colorado’s looming athletic director swap could spell trouble for his long-term outlook with the Buffaloes.

Sanders’ $33 million buyout likely makes a firing cost-prohibitive. Potential fan backlash is a preventing factor, too. But in the years to come, George’s successor could find it less of a burden to launch a coaching change, especially if Sanders cannot replicate his 2024 success.

… Read full story here …

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November 12th

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Mel Tucker fallout: Michigan State to vacate wins; pay fines; lose visits; three years of probation

From On3Sports … The Michigan State football program will serve three years of probation, vacate wins, pay fines, and have limitations in both on and off campus recruiting as the result of NCAA rules violations committed under former head coach Mel Tucker.

The penalties are part of negotiated settlement between Michigan State University and the NCAA’S committee on Infractions. University resident Kevin Guskiewicz and athletic director J Batt issued the following joint statement on Wednesday.

With Michigan State cooperating fully, the NCAA Committee on Infractions determined that Tucker’s staff knowingly committed numerous rule violations. Those violations included impermissible recruiting inducements and benefits as well as financial compensation for unofficial visit expenses. Tucker’s staff also engaged in impermissible contact with prospective student-athletes.

The NCAA released a summary report of its findings with regard to rules violations committed during Tucker’s tenure on Wednesday. In that report, former Michigan State assistant coach Brandon Jordan and director of recruiting Saeed Khalif were both named as having knowingly committed rules violations.

Impermissible financial inducements included improper travel expenses for unofficial visits to six former recruiting targets and their families. Three of the recruiting targets that received impermissible benefits played a total of 26 games at Michigan State. Michigan State has greed to vacate all victories during the 2022, 2023 and 2024 seasons.

Jordan was hired as a pass-rush specialist by Tucker. Brandon later left Michigan State to take job in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks. Khalif joined the Michigan State coaching staff after spending four years as the director of personnel at Wisconsin. Khalif held the title of general manager on Tucker’s staff.

Both Khalif and Jordan refused to cooperate with the investigation according to the NCAA report. Tucker contested his responsibility during a hearing. Khalif received a six-year show cause penalty for NCAA rules violations. Jordan received a five-year show cause penalty.

The settlement between Michigan State and the NCAA requires the Spartan football program to pay a fine of $30,000, plus 1.5% of the football program budget.

The settlement also included a significant reduction in unofficial visit days and official visits day, and in-person off-campus recruiting through the 2027-2028 academic year.

… Read full story here …

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November 11th

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Kansas State leading tackler out for the remainder of the season

From ESPN … Kansas State will be without leading tackler Austin Romaine for the remainder of the season after the All-Big 12 linebacker hurt his hand a couple of weeks ago and finally opted for surgery rather than to continue playing through the pain.

Wildcats coach Chris Klieman announced Monday that “we decided to shelve him for the rest of the year.”

The 6-foot-2, 240-pound Romaine has made 66 stops this season, despite playing with his left hand heavily wrapped in recent weeks. He made 11 stops and intercepted a pass in a loss to Texas Tech a couple of weeks ago.

Romaine’s injury is another massive blow to the Wildcats, who were ranked in the preseason Top 25 but have struggled to live up to expectations. They are just 4-5 overall and 3-3 in the Big 12 heading into Saturday’s trip to Oklahoma State, which means they need to win at least two of their last three games to become eligible for a bowl game.

They finish at No. 15 Utah on Nov. 22 and against Colorado at home the following week.

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November 9th

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AP Top 25: BYU falls out of Top Ten; Four Big 12 teams ranked

From ESPN … The Texas Longhorns returned to the top 10 of the Associated Press college football poll on Sunday, while the ACC has five teams ranked for the first time this season and two Group of 5 conferences are now represented with a month before the College Football Playoff bracket is set.

The Longhorns, the preseason No. 1 team, are ranked No. 10 in advance of their visit to No. 5 Georgia this week. They had been in the top 10 for the first six polls before their loss at Florida knocked them out of the Top 25 for a week.

Four straight wins elevated them to No. 13 last week, and they jumped three spots ahead of BYU and Virginia and an idle Oklahoma, which they beat 23-6 on Oct. 11. Texas did not play over the weekend.

BYU, which was unbeaten before its 29-7 loss at Texas Tech, dropped four spots to No. 12 to end its two-week stay in the top 10.

Ohio State was No. 1 for the 11th week in a row with 55 first-place votes. Indiana remained No. 2 after its narrow escape at Penn State, but the Hoosiers’ six first-place votes were five fewer than last week.

No. 3 Texas A&M got four first-place votes, three more than a week ago, and was 31 points behind Indiana. Alabama and Georgia rounded out the top five. Ole Miss, Oregon, Texas Tech, Notre Dame and Texas rounded out the top 10.

In all, 19 spots in the Top 25 changed hands.

Rankings include CFP initial week rankings (third column) … 

Others receiving votes: Tulane 83, Missouri 59, North Texas 55, Iowa 54, Houston 43, SMU 8, Arizona State 7, Illinois 5, San Diego State 5, UNLV 2, Memphis 1

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Big 12 Lines: Arizona State a 10.5-point home favorite over West Virginia 

From DraftKings.com

Big 12 … 

Saturday, November 15th

• Arizona at No. 22 Cincinnati … 10:00 a.m., MT,  FS1 … Cincinnati is a 6.5-point home favorite …
• Kansas State at Oklahoma State … 10:00 a.m., MT, ESPNU … Oklahoma State is a 19.5-point home underdog …
• West Virginia at Arizona State … 11:00 a.m., MT, TNT … Arizona State is a 10.5-point home favorite …
• UCF at No. 8 Texas Tech … 1:30 p.m., MT, Fox … Texas Tech is a 23.5-point home favorite …
• No. 15 Utah at Baylor … 5:00 p.m., MT, ESPN2 … Baylor is a 7.5-point home underdog …
• TCU at No. 12 BYU … 8;15 p.m., MT, ESPN … BYU is a 5.5-point home favorite …
• Idle … Colorado … Houston … Iowa State .. Kansas

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This post, about the Arizona State game, from the 2025 Season, is filed under Article.
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