Welcome to the Arizona State College Football Playoffs.
The No. 15 Sun Devils emphatically won the Big 12 in their first year in the conference with a 45-19 victory over Iowa State. ASU scored 35 straight points in the second and third quarters to turn the game into a rout thanks to three straight Iowa State turnovers.
Each of Arizona State’s three third-quarter touchdowns came off a turnover. Abu Sama fumbled on the first drive of the second half and ASU took advantage with a touchdown pass from Sam Leavitt to Xavier Guillory. On ISU’s first play on its next drive, Rocco Becht’s pass attempt bounced off an offensive lineman’s helmet and into the arms of defensive back Keith Abney II.
Three plays later, Leavitt found Guillory again in the end zone.
Cam Skattebo, who else? – then provided the exclamation point after Sama’s second fumble of the quarter when he scored on a 33-yard catch-and-run to give Arizona State a 35-point lead.
Skattebo ran across the state of Iowa with 16 carries for 170 yards and had three total touchdowns. He opened the game with a 28-yard run and also had a 53-yard run against an Iowa State defense that had struggled against the run all season.
It’s a notable turnaround for the Sun Devils (11-2) in Kenny Dillingham’s second season. The former Oregon offensive coordinator was hired in Tempe following Herm Edwards’ difficult tenure. The former NFL coach was fired three games into his fifth season at the school as ASU went 3-9 in 2022. Edwards and current Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce were also targeted. an NCAA investigation into an inadequate recruiting plan during the COVID-19 pandemic.
ASU imposed a self-imposed bowl ban in 2023 because of the investigation and received four years of probation in April. Earlier this fall, the NCAA handed Pierce an eight-year ban for his role.
The Sun Devils finished 3-9 in 2023 and were the only team Colorado beat in the Pac-12 a season ago. That led to ASU being picked last in the Big 12 preseason media poll.
Instead, Arizona State has won six straight games after a loss at Cincinnati on Oct. 19. And three of their last four wins have come over teams that were ranked at the time. ASU put itself in prime position to reach the Big 12 title game with a win at Kansas State in Week 12 before beating BYU by five in a chaotic finish in Week 13.
Skattebo is also a fringe Heisman candidate. He now has 263 carries for 1,568 yards and 19 rushing touchdowns, while adding 37 receptions for 508 yards and three receiving scores. Colorado’s Travis Hunter is the prohibitive favorite and Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty will undoubtedly be second behind Hunter. But Skattebo has a phenomenal case for third place behind the other two stars.
Where will ASU be planted?
The Sun Devils were ranked provisional No. 12 in the 12-team field heading into conference championship weekend, as they were ranked outside the top 12.
It’s hard to see how ASU will rank 12th after what happened Saturday.
There is a small chance that the committee could view the win as favorably and move ASU ahead of Boise State, which was provisionally ranked No. 4 at No. 10 in the committee’s rankings. But Boise State beat No. 20 UNLV by 14 on Friday night for the Mountain West title and has one less loss than Arizona State.
It is reasoned that the committee will not punish Boise State for a two-point win in a game it led 21-0 at halftime, but Dillingham was campaigning for a break after the game. He noted that Leavitt did not play in ASU’s loss to Cincinnati.
“We’re 11-1 with our quarterback, we should be treated like an 11-1 team,” Dillingham said after the game.
But it should also elevate Arizona State beyond last place. If SMU beats Clemson on Saturday night in the ACC title game and clinches a first-round bye, Arizona State could be ranked around No. 10 on Sunday. That would still mean the Sun Devils would be on the road in the first round, but they would avoid a trip to the top two overall teams in the standings.
If Clemson wins, Arizona State should be no lower than fourth in the standings, as the Tigers have three losses.