ESPN released its updated Football Power Index (FPI) rankings on Sunday, and it includes some head-scratching predictions for Arizona State.

ESPN claims its FPI rankings are “a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team’s performance going forward for the rest of the season. FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 20,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule. Ratings and projections update daily.”

Arizona State (4-1) is coming off a thrilling 35-31 victory over Kansas and is one of the biggest surprises in college football after going 3-9 last season.

Consider ESPN’s algorithm unimpressed.

The Sun Devils are ranked No. 53 in the FPI, three spots behind Kansas (1-5). Their projected win total is 7.1, which means they’re expected to go 3-4 the rest of the season. They are ranked No. 12 in the Big 12, ahead of only Arizona, TCU, Baylor and Houston.

Arizona State’s remaining schedule includes No. 16 Utah (home), Cincinnati (away), Oklahoma State (away), Central Florida (home), No. 18 Kansas State (away), No. 14 BYU (home) and Arizona (away).

There is a lot riding on Friday’s matchup with Utah. If the Sun Devils can upset the Utes, it potentially sets them up for an eight or nine-win season. Road games at Cincinnati, Oklahoma State and Kansas State will be tough, but picking off at least one of them is realistic.

It stands to reason Arizona State could go into its regular season finale at Arizona – in the game formerly known as the Territorial Cup – with an 8-3 or 7-4 record.

What’s your prediction?

Election season is heating up, and with it, candidates are ramping up campaign efforts. In swing states like Arizona, the effort is tenfold.

Arizona has been a strategic campaign stop not just because it’s a swing state but also because it borders Mexico. Border policies have been a hotbed issue during this election cycle, and candidates have made special visits to learn more about the issue.

Vice President Kamala Harris, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, former President Donald Trump and Ohio Sen. JD Vance have all focused campaign efforts in Arizona, which has 11 electoral votes and could affect the outcome of this year’s election.

Here are the times each candidate has made a visit to Arizona during this 2024 election season.

When has Kamala Harris visited Arizona?

As vice president, Harris visited Arizona half a dozen times, but many of those visits were not specifically campaign opportunities.

Since becoming the Democratic nominee for president in July, Harris has visited Arizona twice.

• September visit to the border: Harris visited Douglas and the Raul H. Castro Port of Entry, which was in line with her attempts to reach voters concerned about the nation’s border security. Harris met with border patrol agents and walked along a stretch of fence at the U.S.-Mexico border. She also spoke at Cochise College in Sierra Vista, where she pledged to crack down on the fentanyl crisis.
• August rally in Glendale with Walz: Harris held a rally at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, her first appearance after becoming the Democratic party nominee for president. Walz also spoke at that rally, as well as Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and his wife Gabby Giffords. That night, Harris made her case to become president. She highlighted differences between her plans and those of Trump.

Before the Aug. 9 rally, she visited during a trip on June 24 focused on reproductive rights. She was not yet the presidential nominee at that point. During that June event, she appeared with actor Francia Raisa and Arizona Corporation Commissioner Anna Tovar to discuss abortion rights in Latino communities.

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When has Tim Walz visited Arizona?

Since becoming the Democratic nominee for vice president, Walz has made two campaign stops in Arizona.

• September visit to metro Phoenix: Walz’s most recent campaign visit to Arizona was on Sept. 11, the same day Harris and Trump debated each other. Walz made stops in Mesa, Tempe and Phoenix. He met with party leaders and Arizona politicians like Arizona Democratic Party Chair Yolanda Bejarano, Tempe Mayor Corey Woods, Gov. Katie Hobbs and multiple tribal leaders. He also met with students from ASU.
• August rally in Glendale with Harris: The first was on Aug. 9, when he and Harris held a rally at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale. At that rally, Walz made his case for vice president, and spoke on his values about gun reform and women’s rights.

When has Donald Trump visited Arizona?

During his 2016 campaign, Trump made seven visits to Arizona to campaign. He again made seven visits to the Grand Canyon State during his 2020 campaign.

So far during his 2024 campaign, Trump has made three stops in Arizona.

• September visit to Tucson: Trump’s most recent stop in Arizona came on Sept. 12, when he spoke at Linda Ronstadt Music Hall in Tucson. During that speech, Trump promised to bring mortgage rates down to 2% and said he will “ban all mortgages for illegal aliens,” and doubled down on false claims that immigrants are eating house pets in Ohio.
• August visit to the border and rally in Glendale: Trump again visited Arizona for a two-day visit on Aug. 22-23. On the first day, Trump toured of the U.S.-Mexico border. On the second day, Trump held a rally at Desert Diamond Arena. It was a notable rally in the Trump campaign because candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced his endorsement of the Trump campaign.
• June town hall at Phoenix church: Trump appeared at a town hall meeting on June 6 hosted by the conservative group Turning Point Action at Dream City Church in Phoenix. That event followed closely after Trump was convicted in a ‘hush money’ scandal, and he focused largely on critiquing the case as being politically motivated. He called for his conviction to be overturned on appeal.

When has JD Vance visited Arizona?

So far during his 2024 campaign, Vance has visited Arizona three times.

• September visit to metro Phoenix: Vance’s most recent was on Sept. 4, an event co-hosted by conservative group Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, at Generation Church in Mesa. He also spoke at the Arizona Biltmore on Sept. 5, an event where he made comments about late Arizona Sen. John McCain.
• August rally in Glendale with Trump: Vance’s other visit to Arizona was on Aug. 23, when both Vance and Trump held a rally at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale.
• August border visit: On the first day of August, Vance made a visit to the U.S.-Mexico border and spoke at an unfinished portion of the border wall in Cochise County. Vance blamed the Harris administration for having “bad” policies when it comes to the southern border.

Do the candidates have any more plans to visit Arizona before Election Day?

Walz recently announced plans to make a campaign stop in Arizona. Though his campaign didn’t specify which day he’ll be in Arizona, his campaign said the reason for his visit is to kick off early voting, which starts on Oct. 9.

Harris, Trump and Vance have yet to announce future dates for campaign stops in Arizona.

Reach the reporter at zbradshaw@gannett.com or on X at @ZachBradshaw14.

SCOTTSDALE, AZ (AZFamily) — One year ago on Monday, nearly 1,200 people in Israel were killed, and over 250 others were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists.

Members of Congregation Beth Israel came together Sunday night to remember those who lost their lives on Oct. 7, 2023, and the hostages that never made it back home.

“It’s extremely important for all of us to remember each and every day, each and every hostage and ultimately take a look at the big situation, which is we have got to figure out a way to resolve the wars,” Martin Shultz, a congregation member, said.

In the year since the terrorist attack, the Anti-Defamation League says its preliminary data shows more than 10,000 recorded instances of antisemitism in the U.S., the most in a single year since the ADL started tracking in 1979.

Rabbi Stephen Kahn says that in the year since the attack, many members of his congregation have found what he calls a renewed sense of purpose and vigor.

“I really started to personalize this. If this was me or my family, I would hope that there was someone out there praying for me,” said Allison Kierman, another congregation member.

Kahn suggests the best way to help and support the Jewish community is “by understanding all of the nuances of what’s going on in Israel right now.”

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