Arizona State is set to take on the Duke Blue Devils this afternoon in the Sun Bowl with kickoff set for 2:00 p.m. ET on CBS. As we approach kick off and look back on the season, Kenny Dillingham and the Sun Devils went 8-4 Big 12 this season, while Duke finished 8-5, but won the ACC Championship 27-20 over No. 17 Virginia.
The spread opened up at Duke -1.5 and an over-under set at 49.5 total points. The line has moved to Duke -3 and an over/under of 47.5 total points as of Wednesday morning.
The Sun Bowl is the second-oldest bowl game in the country after the Rose Bowl. It has historically featured an ACC and Pac-12 team, which remains in place through this year, with Arizona State representing its former conference. It’s the second meeting between the schools — both in the Sun Bowl. The first was a 36-31 ASU victory 11 years ago. Here are two key players to watch in this game, followed by the top storylines for each team, and a prediction from Heartland College Sports.
Related: Big 12 Bowl Games 2025–26: Schedule, Spreads, Results & Scores
Two Key Players to Watch
Kanye Udoh, Arizona State RB
Arizona State’s 1,000-yard rusher Raleek Brown had a strong season replacing Cam Skattebo, but he has opted out of this game. So who is going to get the running game going for the Sun Devils? It might be dual-threat QB Jeff Sims, but he can’t do it alone. Arizona State should turn to junior back Kanye Udoh, who finished the season with 240 yards on 56 carries and two scores. He showed some promise when given opportunities down the stretch, including nine carries and 62 yards with one touchdown in a win over Colorado in November.
Darian Mensah, Duke QB
There have been reports that Duke quarterback Darian Mensah is considering a move to the NFL, but head coach Manny Diaz has said Mensah is planning to play in the Sun Bowl. Mensah led the ACC with a Duke-record 30 touchdown passes. He also threw for 3,646 yards with five interceptions. He had just one interception in nine conference games.
Top Storylines
Can Arizona State’s Offense Keep Up?
Arizona State is going to need its offense to keep up with Jeff Sims at quarterback, a running game that, as we noted, will be without starting running back Raleek Brown, and a wide receiving corps that will be missing future NFL stud Jordyn Tyson. Duke’s defense has not been its strong suit this season, ranking 14th in the ACC against the pass and 12th against the run, while giving up nearly 29 points per game, good for 13th in the league.
Will Mensah Light it up?
Arizona State’s defense was better vs. the run than the pass, which sets up well for Duke, which had the No. 2 passing offense in the ACC this season. The biggest missing piece on the ASU defense is linebacker Keyshaun Elliott, who had seven sacks among 14 tackles for loss, and it’s a key loss for ASU. If Mensah can take advantage in the passing game for the Blue Devils, it could signal a long afternoon in West Texas for the Sun Devils defense.
Prediction: Arizona State 23, Duke 20
Arizona State can win this game by slowing it down and putting together long, methodical drives. If Jeff Sims gets going on the ground, then Arizona State can pull off the upset. And in many ways, the game sets up well for the Sun Devils to do just that. Kenny Dillingham is fresh off signing a new contract and building some momentum going into the off-season as looks to rally the fan base and big donors around the program. Arizona State ranked third in the Big 12 in time of possession, while Duke ranked 9th in the ACC. Jeff Sims is not your typical back up, as he played the second half of the season in place of an injured Sam Leavitt. He just needs to avoid the big mistake (interception), which plagued him at times this season.
