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Arizona State punches CFP ticket with emphatic Big 12 Championship victory
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Arizona State has completed its massive turnaround under Kenny Dillingham with the Sun Devils steamrolling Iowa State 45-19 to win the Big 12 Championship! As a result, the program will play in the 12-team College Football Playoff one year removed from a 3-9 campaign.
At one point in Saturday’s title game, the Sun Devils scored 35 straight points across the 2nd and 3rd quarters. It included a 21-0 stretch in the 3rd quarter with Sam Leavitt dominating with 3 touchdown passes for the Sun Devils. Arizona State built a 45-10 lead before eventually pulling off the gas in the 4th quarter.
Overall, the story of this game was Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo. The dynamic running back had over 100 rushing yards at the break, and he added a long touchdown catch in the 2nd half.
By the time Skattebo gave way to the reserves in the blowout, he had 208 yards of offense to go with 3 touchdowns. Leavitt was equally exceptional for the Sun Devils with a 12-for-17 passing effort with 219 passing yards and 4 total touchdowns.
The story for Iowa State, outside of its overmatched defense, was an offense that could not avoid a string of turnovers on 3 straight possessions. That stretch allowed Arizona State to gain total control of the game in the 2nd half.
Now, Arizona State will wait to find out its final seeding for the Playoff. Coming into the weekend, the Sun Devils were projected as the final team into the bracket with the 12-seed, a designation that would put them in a first-round game at the No. 5 seed.
The SEC Championship (Georgia vs. Texas) and Big Ten Championship (Oregon vs. Penn State) will not impact Arizona State’s eventual seeding. However, the outcome of the ACC Championship between SMU and Clemson could shake things up if Clemson upsets the Mustangs.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
