The Duke football program will cap off its historic 2025 season against Arizona State in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl on Dec. 31 in El Paso, TX. Manny Diaz's program hasn't been hit with many intended Transfer Portal exits, and the Blue Devils are expected to be near full strength for the matchup.
Duke is looking to end its campaign on a four-game win streak by earning its first victory of the year over a non-ACC power conference opponent. After receiving massive news that both QB Darian Mensah and WR Cooper Barkate will be back in Durham in 2026, the Blue Devils now have the potential to bring one of the most explosive offenses to the ACC next year. The next step in that process is getting back star freshman running back Nate Sheppard, who will likely be garnering a lot of interest from top-tier programs after a stellar rookie campaign.
Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham has already shown his support for his players who intend to enter the transfer portal, playing in the Sun Bowl and finishing out the season with the team, so the contest has the potential to be a great battle.
Final betting odds for the 2025 Sun Bowl between Duke and Arizona State
According to FanDuel, Duke is now a 3.5-point favorite (-105) against Arizona State, while ASU is a 3.5-point underdog (-115). The Blue Devils' moneyline is at -166, while the Sun Devils' is at +140. The total points Over/Under for the matchup is 47.5.
Duke vs. Arizona State series history
Duke has only faced off against Arizona State once in the program's history, a 36-31 defeat in the 2014 Sun Bowl. The Blue Devils now have a chance to even the series in the same game.
The Blue Devils have a shot to go into the 2025 offseason with tons of momentum if they can put some offensive firepower on display. Duke led the ACC in points per game (34.0) this season, and with it now being confirmed that arguably its top two offensive weapons will be back in the program in 2026, a strong showing could make it much more appealing for transfers to head to Durham, or for guys like Sheppard to return.