The Big Lead

Which 2025 College Football Playoff fan bases would a national title be most meaningful for?

By Sam Westmoreland

Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates with players at the end of the game against the Southern California Trojans at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates with players at the end of the game against the Southern California Trojans at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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9. ARIZONA STATE

Kenny Dillingham and Arizona State are the team no one expected to see here, but the Sun Devils would love a title.
Dec 7, 2024; Arlington, TX, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Kenny Dillingham celebrates winning the Big 12 Championship game against the Iowa State Cyclones at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images / Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

We're only four teams into this, and we're already getting tough to parse out just how meaningful a title would be.

On one hand, getting to a national title would be a monumental accomplishment for Kenny Dillingham and the Sun Devils. Picked to finish last in the Big 12 this season, they've proven the world wrong with an explosive offense and a mostly good enough defense. Bringing home a national title would be a truly stunning and praise-worthy development for a program that has seen more than its share of bad luck over the years, both self-inflicted and otherwise.

So what put Arizona State this low? Well, in part because someone has to be down here with the other title winners, and the Sun Devils are probably one of the two programs most people are the least aware of in this playoff field (we'll get to SMU shortly). While they'd love a national title, losing one wouldn't devastate them the way it would some of the fan bases higher on this list. So, they come in ninth.

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