The Arizona State Sun Devils flew under the radar for most of the year. The Big 12 conference lost many of its marquee programs, making many college football fans interested in other conferences. Colorado also garnered much of the spotlight because of Deion Sanders, Shedeur Sanders, and two-way star Travis Hunter. All Arizona State did was quietly keep winning with a suffocating defense and a solid offense. Because of the tiebreakers, they made it into the Big 12 Championship. It gave them a chance to show the nation and the College Football Playoff committee what they could do. They didn’t waste the opportunity, blowing out Iowa State 45-19.
Arizona State Crushes Iowa State
The Sun Devils came out firing on all cylinders on offense. They scored on their first three drives (field goal, touchdown, touchdown), but the Cyclones were able to keep pace. It looked like Arizona State would go into the half with a seven-point lead. Running back Cam Skattebo had other ideas. With a minute left in the half, the senior running back ripped off a 53-yard run that put the team at the ISU 19. Three plays later, Skattebo ran it in for a touchdown, one of two on the day for him. They didn’t take their foot off the gas in the second half.
An opening second-half drive fumble by the Cyclones led to another touchdown for the Sun Devils, and the rout was on. ASU was up 45-10 at the end of the third quarter and was able to relax and enjoy the moment. Skattebo rushed for 170 yards on only 16 carries (an absurd 10.6 yards per carry), leading the way on offense. Quarterback Sam Leavitt went 12-17 for 219 and three touchdowns, adding another one on the ground. Because they fell behind, the Cyclones couldn’t rely on their strong run game, with Carson Hansen ending the day with only 52 yards.
How Will This Affect The Rankings?
Arizona State was already projected to be in the College Football Playoff. However, the committee had them as the last team in, sending the message that while the automatic conference bid got them in, their resume wasn’t as good as the others. The two losses on the year were both on the road against Texas Tech and Cincinnati. However, they have been on a run as of late. In the last four weeks, they took down three ranked teams (Kansas State, BYU, and now Iowa State) and absolutely dismantled arch-rival Arizona. After a performance like this, ASU could have changed its position in the bracket.
Many are wondering whether they did enough to unseat Boise State as the 4-seed. While the Broncos took the Mountain West Championship, they did not look as impressive as Arizona State today. They only won 21-7 and didn’t score in the second half. Depending on how the committee feels, they could look to bump the program up in the standings.
Final Thoughts
Ken Dillingham deserves a lot of credit. He is only 34 years old and is taking his team to the College Football Playoff. Furthermore, this team has shown improvement throughout the year, which is a sign of good coaching. This is not a team I would want to face right now. They have a lot of confidence and are playing with house money. No one expected them to be here, and they will be upset-minded going into the postseason.
