5 college football teams doomed to have roughest conference realignments in 2024

2. Arizona State Sun Devils (from Pac-12 to Big 12)

Part of what will make the transition so difficult for the Sun Devils is that, even more than UCLA, their recent history is marked by a high level of uncertainty throughout the program. After another coaching change, a transition to a new league will only exacerbate issues within the team and the athletic department more broadly before they can have a beneficial impact.

The Herm Edwards experiment was mercifully brought to an end last season, but it wasn't as though Kenny Dillingham lit the world on fire in his first year as head coach in Tempe. Arizona State went 3-9 in Dillingham's first season at the helm, and victories will be even harder to come by as the team transitions to the Big 12 this year.

Fans of the Sun Devils haven't had much to root for in recent years, with the team now three years removed from its last trip to the postseason. That trend is unlikely to change this year. If Arizona State doesn't win two out of its first three games out of conference, they run a real risk of ending the year with double digits in the loss column.