Arizona State advances to the College Football Playoff with 45-19 win over Iowa State in Big 12 title game
ARLINGTON, Texas– Cam Skattebo and Arizona State are on a roll in their Big 12 debut after being the preseason pick to finish at the bottom of the conference.
Now, the Sun Devils will represent their new 16-team league in the 12-team college football playoffs after a 45-19 victory over Iowa State in the Big 12 championship game on Saturday.
The rugged Skattebo totaled 170 yards rushing, including a 28-yard gain on the first offensive snap. There were long runs to avoid tackles to open both drives that he ended with short touchdown runs, and he then turned a short pass into another score.
“I have the best seat in the house,” said Sam Leavitt, the freshman quarterback who is handing over to Skattebo. “Prepare yourself for a win of 5 or whatever, and I just see the guy weaving through traffic… and going wild.”
Arizona State (11-2, No. 15 CFP), with head coach Kenny Dillingham, 34, has six consecutive playoff victories.
The Sun Devils are assured of a playoff spot as one of the top five conference champions and hope to be in the top four for a first-round bye.
Big Ten champion Oregon and SEC champion Georgia are expected to be the top two seeds when the the final CFP ranking will be published on Sunday. Arizona State will almost certainly rank below Mountain West champion Boise State (12-1, No. 10), but could be above post-Atlantic Coast Conference champion Clemson (10-3, No. 17). won this title game 34-31 against SMU (11-2, No. 8) Saturday night.
Before the Big 12 championship game Commissioner Brett Yormark reiterated what he thought, that his league’s champion should get a first-round bye and certainly not have to open the playoffs in an away game.
“Last year, they left a team out because of a quarterback (then-undefeated Florida State). We went 11-1 with our starting quarterback, having beaten four ranked teams and we won the Big 12 championship,” Dillingham said. “We’ve set a standard that the quarterback is so valuable…I really think we should have a game.”
Iowa State (10-3, No. 16 CFP), already enjoying the first 10-win season in the program’s 133-year history, trailed 24-10 before turnovers on its own territory during its first three practices after the half-time. The Sun Devils capitalized with Leavitt throwing touchdowns each time.
“It doesn’t get much more deflating than that,” Cyclones coach Matt Campbell said. “Their ability to take care of the football and our inability to do that in the third quarter was just crippling.”
Xavier Guillory had TD catches of 8 and 21 yards in 71 seconds after Iowa State turnovers. Skattebo then turned a third-down pass into a 33-yard score for a 45-10 lead that he punctuated with one of his Heisman poses.
Skattebo struck a Heisman Trophy pose several times during the game, and he later wore a Big 12 championship t-shirt.
“No one respects the fact that I’m the best running back in the country. And I’m going to stick with that,” he said. “I’m going to continue to prove people wrong. And whichever NFL team takes me, I’ll get a gem.
His 2,074 yards from scrimmage (1,568 rushing and 506 receiving) is a single-season school record.
Before his 3-yard touchdown, Skattebo had a 47-yard run when he broke away from the line of defenders and then ignored others. He had a 2-yard score in the final minute of the first half after a 53-yard run, again following contact at the line before twisting and turning while chasing the Cyclones.
“He’s an ‘A’ player and he played an ‘A’ game today,” Campbell said. “In those moments, you need your ‘A’ players to play ‘A’ football, and he certainly did that.”
Even without Jordyn Tyson, injured senior receiverthe Sun Devils made many big plays. Leavitt’s first pass was a 22-yard pass to Melquan Stovall, who then made a 63-yard catch to convert a fourth-and-1. They had six plays of 20+ yards, all before halftime.
Iowa State’s only such play was Rocco Becht’s late 25-yard touchdown to Jaylin Noel. Becht completed 21 of 35 passes for 214 yards. He had touchdown passes in 17 straight games, and his 3-yard throw to Carson Hansen on the Cyclones’ first drive gave them their only lead at 7-3.
Arizona State wins its first conference title since winning the Pac-10 in 1996. After going 3-9 in their final Pac-12 season, the Sun Devils’ eight-win improvement is a school record – the previous one was five. Arizona State and Indiana (11-1) are the only FBS schools with eight wins from last year.
Iowa State entered November undefeated for the first time since 1938. The Cyclones then lost two straight games before winning three in a row to advance to their second Big 12 title game. They lost to the ‘Oklahoma during the 2020 game.
Arizona State finds out who it will face and where to start the playoffs on Sunday.
Iowa State awaits its bowl destination, likely the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio or the Pop Tarts Bowl in Orlando.
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