Brad Cesmat
Growing pains…
We are just a couple of weeks into the new world of college athletics, and the bickering over “my school is better than your school” is nowhere to be heard or seen. Instead, we are left to hear from the SEC and the Big Ten, who “control all of the cards” (stolen from a current Suns player) when it comes to the college football playoff. Arizona State football fans should be watching with a tilt to the head. The Big 10 wants a model where the non-conference games will have no bearing on making the CFP. They want automatic qualifiers to account for a significant portion of an expanded playoff, as does the SEC. The Big 12 and ACC would he lucky to ever get more than two, while schools like SMU or Boise State would hope for the leftover crumbs. Why should this matter to you? Simple. 
The economics of the sport will continue to evolve. What the world of college athletics looks like in 2025 isn’t what it will be in 2035, mainly because of the lack of guardrails in the sport today and media rights fees being the golden goose that keeps the sport alive. IF there comes a day when the faucet of media dollars dials back, I don’t see another revenue stream except for private equity. If you’re the SEC, why would you play games against the Big 12 if ESPN, FOX, CBS want you to have a crossover game with the Big Ten? I’m not one to think that South Carolina vs Wisconsin would make my Saturday complete, but from what I’m hearing and seeing, the idea of LSU vs Arizona State or Alabama vs Arizona seems unlikely to happen, even though both games are on future schedules. I expect those games to be bought out…
The more people I speak with on the subject of the CFP, the more convinced I am that the strength of schedule will carry much more weight. I would have to believe that the future of Northern Arizona playing the Wildcats or Sun Devils in late August is in jeopardy. It would make much more sense for the Sun Devils to schedule UCLA for the exposure to the Southern California market. I expect this to happen…
Sam Leavitt wanted to suit up for Bobby Hurley late last season when the basketball team suffered a series of injuries. Give me more multi-sport dudes…
Jordan Tyson brought the goods to our Jordan Spurgeon
“I’d much rather go to heaven than the NFL” – @tyson_jordyn
Quote of the week from Big 12 Media Day. pic.twitter.com/4IKX9D2bBr
— Jordan Spurgeon (@spurge_) July 10, 2025
August 30th, I’ll be busy
9 am Texas vs Ohio State
12:30 Florida State vs Alabama
4:30 LSU vs Clemson
Arizona State vs. NAU, Arizona vs. Hawaii, UCLA vs. Utah for my late-night viewing…
What’s wrong with sports – LA Olympics in 2028 will start with Track and Field on July 14th. Swimming will be kept for the last week of the Summer Games. Once again, NBC holds all of the cards…
Corbin Carroll is within reach of 40 home runs, 20 triples, and 2o stolen bases. You’re going to doubt him???
It feels like the Diamondbacks are 15 games out of the wild card, not 5-and-a-half. The team photo is going to look much different by the trade deadline, and I’m ok with that. Unless two/three above-average bullpen arms are added, I don’t see any reason to believe this team can put together long winning streaks…
Disrespectful to write off the 2026 season just because of the injuries. The owner and front office have built a reputation of putting a competitive product on the field over the last several years…
Do Ken Kendrick, Derrick Hall, and the company point the finger at one specific person for what has gone wrong this year? IF Zac Gallen and Eduardo Rodriguez pitched at a slightly above average level, the first half of the season standings would look much different…
Which card best predicted the future? 
Rumblings of another local TV channel going into the sports business…
The Arizona Cardinals are going to do something very smart in the high school space later this month.
Took a golf trip to Michigan with my wife last week. South Haven and Holland, Michigan, will see our dollars at work in their area many times in the future. Great summer spot…
Are the Mercury fans missing Taurasi and Griner? All good things must come to an end, but watching the Mercury play this summer has been refreshing, unlike the last couple of seasons…
Reader David Jankowski sent me this note.
Why do so few AZ HS athletes (in any sport) choose ASU? A couple of years ago, I looked at the football rosters of every Power-5 (back when there was a Power-5) team, and ASU had the fewest in-state players of any of the 68 schools. A friend of mine did some research on this topic.
NFL Draft First Round Picks from Arizona High Schools
2024/31st/49ers Ricky Pearsall, Florida(did start at Arizona State) (Corona Del Sol)
2023/8th/Falcons-Bijan Robinson, Texas (Tucson Salpointe)
2020/18th/Dolphins-Austin Jackson, USC (North Canyon)
2019/32nd/Patriots-N’Keal Harry, ASU (Chandler)
2015/13th/Sains-Andrus Peat, Stanford (Corona del Sol)
2014/11th/Titans-Taylor Lewan, Michigan (Scottsdale Chaparral)
2013/3rd/Dolphins-Dion Jordan, Oregon (Chandler
2011/19th/Giants-Prince Amukamara, Nebraska (Apollo)
2011/24th/Saints-Cameron Jordan, California (Chandler)
2003/10th/Ravens-Terrell Suggs, ASU (Chandler)
2002/10th/Bengals-Levi Jones, ASU (Eloy Santa Cruz)
2001/20th/Rams-Adam Archuleta, ASU (Chandler)
2001/31st/Ravens-Todd Heap, ASU (Mesa Mountain View)
2000/31st/Rams-Trung Canidate, Arizona (Central)
1999/14th/Chiefs-John Tait, BYU (Tempe McClintock)
1998/20th/Lions-Terry Fair, Tennessee (South Mountain)
1992/27th/Bills-John Fina, Arizona (Tucson Salpointe Catholic)
1988/19th/Vikings-Randall McDaniel, ASU (Avondale Agua Fria)
1984/6th/Chargers-Mossy Cade, Texas (Eloy Santa Cruz)
1984/24th/49ers-Todd Shell, BYU (Mesa Mountain View)
1976/17th/Dolphins-Larry Gordon, ASU (Phoenix Union)
1976/22nd/Cardinals-Mike Dawson, Arizona (Tucson)
1968/26th/Packers-Bill Lueck, Arizona (Avondale Agua Fria)
1968/5th/Packers-Fred Carr, UTEP (Phoenix Union)
Not many first-round picks, but you could take the Brock Purdy, Christian Kirk,
My view on this has evolved through the years. I felt that before Kenny Dillingham and his staff arrived, ASU did a less-than-poor job recruiting local players. I made that conclusion based on talking with the players, parents, and high school coaches. Their story versus ASU’s story didn’t add up most of the time. Sure, parents can be crazy, but Arizona State did not have a great reputation walking onto a campus following the likes of Texas, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan, etc, etc. I don’t need to drudge up the miscalculations and utter nonsense before Kenny and staff arrived on the scene. Let’s say the brush fire was out of control, and no one seemed to mind.
I do think that there is some truth to the idea that players want to get away from home. Go to a cooler climate. Play for a program steeped in tradition. The infamous Pac-12 Network disaster. Inept conference leadership. Arrogant school presidents. I could go on and on. I’m just living in the present and only going to the past to give context to how ASU ended up in the ditch before the current coaching staff arrived. In today’s college football world, you’re better off finishing second sometimes on a local player. Let them go elsewhere, and they usually want to find a way back home to family and mom’s cooking after a couple of seasons.
If you want to be part of the Three Dot Thoughts mailbag, drop me a note at Brad@sports360az.com
