Kenny Dillingham thinks he can turn ASU football into the Clemson or Oregon of this era
(snip)
“You have Clemson this last cycle, from 2010 to 2020," Dillingham told Pete Nakos of On3. "They just showed up. People think they’ve been around forever. You have Oregon from 2000 to 2010... There hasn’t been a team in this era, in the 2020s. The lifestyle you have in Arizona, if we can create some staff consistency, and then we’re in a league where we can continually compete to win.”
Clemson won two national championships and seven conference championships from 2010-2020, but they were not as successful before that.
As for Oregon; ASU has never won a national championship, but neither have the Ducks. Oregon has four Rose Bowls compared to ASU's one, but ASU also has 18 conference championships, including the Western Athletic and Border conferences, compared to Oregon's 14, including the Pacific Coast Conference.
ASU came into the 2020s with 17 conference championships, while Oregon came into 2000 with five. Dillingham and ASU have more than enough reasons to believe they could be the team of this era that Oregon was from 2000-2010.
https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/college/asu/2025/05/31/kenny-dillingham-argues-arizona-state-football-new-clemson/83973666007/
I remember Oregon in the 90s they were not even close to the powerhouse brand they are now known as. Also Clemson was an average team before becoming a powerhouse in the 2010-2020s.
I'm looking forward to the upcoming season. Sam Leavitt & Jordan Tyson will be back next year and they should be improved with more experience but time will tell. I do think Arizona State made a good decision to hire Dillingham.