Ad Disclosure
Kenny Dillingham asks CFP committee to treat Arizona State like 11-1 team
Published:
Kenny Dillingham led Arizona State to a conference championship in just his second season with the program.
It’s hard to undersell just how impressive an achievement Saturday’s 45-19 win over Iowa State is. ASU faced NCAA sanctions when Dillingham took over the program. ASU went 3-9 in his first season. It saw a blue-chip quarterback opt for the transfer portal. It opened the 2024 year picked to finish last in the Big 12.
And now the Sun Devils stand along atop the conference. As a reward, ASU officially punched its ticket to the College Football Playoff on Saturday. The only question left is where the Sun Devils will be seeded.
ESPN’s broadcast crew caught Dillingham after the game and asked him for his thoughts on seeding.
“Last year, [the CFP Selection Committee] kept Florida State out because their quarterback didn’t play. We’re 11-1 with our quarterback — 11-1 — and we’re Big 12 champs,” Dillingham said. “I think we should be treated like an 11-1 team.”
“Last year, [the CFP Selection Committee] kept Florida State out because their quarterback didn’t play. We’re 11-1 with our quarterback. 11-1. And we’re Big 12 champs. I think we should be treated like an 11-1 team.” – Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham pic.twitter.com/hOPmN2Qldb
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 7, 2024
Because of how convincing Arizona State was — it took a 45-10 lead into the fourth quarter — there’s a case to be made the Sun Devils deserve a top-4 seed in the field.
Heading into Week 15, Boise State was ranked No. 10 by the CFP selection committee while ASU was ranked No. 15.
Boise State won the Mountain West title Friday night with a 21-7 victory over UNLV. SMU faces Clemson Saturday night in the ACC title game. If the eighth-ranked Mustangs lose, Boise State and Arizona State will most likely get first-round byes.
If SMU beats Clemson, the third and fourth seeds will be between No. 8 SMU, No. 10 Boise State, and No. 15 Arizona State. It’s hard to see Arizona State making up that much ground in the rankings after a win over No. 16.
But Dillingham has a fair point. Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt missed the game at Cincinnati on Oct. 19 with an injury. Backup Jeff Sims had to lead the offense and ASU was limited to a season-low 14 points in a loss.
Since that game, the Sun Devils have won 6 straight.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
