TEMPE (AZFamille) — Arizona State University football team travels to Texas to face Iowa State in the Big 12 championship game this Saturday.

It’s been a magical run for ASU, and the school’s athletic director hopes to extend it. The Arizona family met with Graham Rossini before the game.

Rossini was named sporting director in May, so this is his first football season in the role. He had a long career in Valley sports and graduated from ASU.

The athletic director says he is proud and excited for all the Sun Devils. Ahead of Saturday’s kickoff, Rossini has his sights set even higher, hoping to beat Iowa State and extend the team’s winning streak.

The Sun Devils are coming off back-to-back 3-9 seasons, so we asked Rossini: What’s the secret to success this year? Is it head coach Kenny Dillingham, Cam Skattebo or Sam Leavitt? And Rossini said all of the above.

“This season, in our opinion, is what can happen when the Sun Devil family comes together. And it all started when Coach Dillingham came here two years ago to talk about activating the Valley,” he said.

Rossini says over the summer the department really focused on creating a better game experience at Mountain America Stadium. One of the changes was to reduce the cost of parking from $40 to $20 in garages.

This is also ASU’s first year competing in the Big 12 Conference. This season’s success is already helping with recruiting and building momentum for next year.

“It’s just exciting that everyone nationally is starting to feel what’s happening here at ASU. And they see this incredible head coach, they see this incredible energy around everything Sun Devils football, and people want to be a big part of it. And we see that with alumni,” Rossini said.

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