Arizona State kicks off its 2026 campaign against an FCS opponent that has zero business hanging with a Big 12 team — this one is about building momentum, not suspense.
Bush’s Picks
MORGASU
MORGASU
OverUnder
Best BetArizona State
Arizona State enters this off a Big 12 title run just two seasons ago and returns a top-graded transfer class, while Morgan State is off a 4-8 FCS season. This is about as lopsided a talent gap as the sport produces in a season opener, and there's no scenario where backing the Bears outright makes sense.
Morgan State
+Defense was relative bright spot in 2025
+Nothing to lose as heavy underdog
−Finished 4-8 overall, 1-4 in MEAC
−Facing a massive talent and depth gap
Arizona State
+Preseason ranked as high as No. 11 nationally
+Best-graded transfer portal class under Dillingham
−Starting QB job still unresolved after Leavitt's exit
−Schedule is front-loaded with tougher games soon after
Dillingham's crew opens the year still sorting out who's under center. Sam Leavitt, the quarterback who led the 2024 Big 12 title run, bolted for the transfer portal in December, and Arizona State went out and got Mikey Keene and Cutter Boley to compete for the job, with Cam Dyer and true freshman Jake Fette also in the mix. Nothing is settled, and a Week 1 tune-up against overmatched competition is exactly the kind of low-pressure spot a new starter wants.
Morgan State is coming off a 4-8 season and a 1-4 mark in the MEAC under fourth-year coach Damon Wilson, and this is the first-ever meeting between these two programs. Arizona State is reportedly paying the Bears a $600,000 guarantee just to show up, which tells you everything about how this one is projected to go on paper.
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MORG Morgan State
ASU Arizona State
For Morgan State, it's the back half of a season-opening road trip that starts at North Carolina A&T before the Bears fly out to Tempe. For Arizona State, it's step one before a much harder Week 2 trip to Texas A&M — the kind of scheduling that makes this opener feel more like a dress rehearsal than a real test.
Morgan State Bears
Arizona State Sun Devils
Recent form.
Arizona State's front office had a busy offseason regardless of the quarterback uncertainty — 247Sports graded the Sun Devils' 2026 transfer class at 87.15, the best of Dillingham's four cycles in Tempe, and preseason polls have ASU anywhere from 6th to as high as 11th nationally depending on the outlet. Morgan State's own program recap leaned on the word "resilience," particularly pointing to the defense as a bright spot in an otherwise rough year — which will be put to an immediate, brutal test against Big 12 skill talent.
Morgan State Bears
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Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Arizona State Sun Devils
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Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
None of this changes the shape of the actual game. Arizona State needs reps for its new-look backfield and a clean confidence-building win before the schedule gets a lot tougher, while Morgan State is mostly just trying to survive the trip out west with its depth chart intact for MEAC play. Don't expect much drama — expect ASU's starters to get their work in early.
