No. 15 Arizona State likely locked in its place in the College Football Playoff with a statement performance against No. 16 Iowa State in the Big 12 championship game. The Sun Devils dominated in all facets in a 45–19 win, outgaining the Cyclones 464 yards to 341.
The five highest-rated conference champions will earn automatic bids to the 12-team College Football Playoff, with the four highest-rated teams among them earning the top four seeds and first-round byes. Boise State, which moved to 12–1 and clinched the Mountain West championship with a solid 21–7 win over UNLV on Friday night, has been entrenched as one of the four projected bye teams since the release of the Week 12 CFP rankings after BYU suffered its first loss. Arizona State was on the fringes of the Playoff discussion at the time, ranked No. 21 with an 8–2 record. The Sun Devils have been red hot since mid-October, and after a beatdown of Iowa State, deserve real consideration for a first-round bye.
Not only could Arizona State jump Boise State and earn the No. 4 seed (and first-round bye), it’s also quite possible that the fifth conference champion is ranked higher than No. 12.
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) December 7, 2024
This is why it’s silly to be definitive about seeding (or easiest path, etc) before Sunday.
Since a loss to Cincinnati, ASU's worst result of the season, the Sun Devils have won six consecutive games including three against ranked teams that were all in the mix to reach the Big 12 title game until last week: Kansas State, BYU and Iowa State. Those wins have come by an average of 18 points points, with four of the six games decided by double-digits. ASU also beat Utah earlier in the season, when the Utes were ranked No. 16 and had Cam Rising at quarterback.
Boise State has made its way through the Mountain West unscathed, but it was far from dominant every week. The Broncos struggled against a pair of three-win teams down the stretch, beating Nevada 28–21 and Wyoming just 17–13. Arizona State beat that same Wyoming team 48–7 to open the season.
I ended up in the hospital the morning after tweeting this but I will literally die on this hill.
— Matt Fortuna (@Matt_Fortuna) December 7, 2024
The Big 12 champ deserves a bye over Boise State. https://t.co/3eSOOnDD8V
The Broncos' sole loss has been a feather in their cap this season, a 37–34 defeat at Oregon that has aged incredibly well. The Ducks team that edged out Ashton Jeanty & Co. looks much different than the one that will play for the No. 1 seed in the Playoff in tonight's Big Ten championship. Oregon had not yet figured out its offensive line and struggled to get by FCS program Idaho 24–14 a week before. Between the Idaho and Boise State games, Dillon Gabriel was sacked seven times and clearly looked out of sync behind an offensive line that would be reshuffled soon thereafter.
Arizona State's loss at Cincinnati also featured extenuating circumstances, a starting quarterback Sam Leavitt missed the game due to injury. Leavitt is the All-Big 12 second-team quarterback this season, and the league's offensive freshman of the year. The Sun Devils' only other loss came against a solid Texas Tech team that finished 8–4 (6–3) and in the heat of the Big 12 race until the end.
Arizona State deserves a good seed in the playoff, maybe 10th (ahead of Indiana, Alabama) if they don’t pass Boise State. Going to be 11-2, with two Top 25 victories. One loss was when QB Sam Leavitt was out. Shouldn’t be hindered because preseason expectations were so low.
— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) December 7, 2024
Boise State has an edge in terms of name-brand star power, both thanks to the program's history as a college football Cinderella and Jeanty's incredible run that will culminate in a trip to the Heisman ceremony. ASU has its own stars, led by running back Cam Skattebo, who may be the best back in the country other than Jeanty. Skattebo racked up 208 yards from scrimmage and three total touchdowns in the Big 12 championship game. He leaves Saturday's game with 2,064 yards from scrimmage (1,568 rushing, 506 receiving) and 22 total touchdowns.
Both teams are absolutely deserving College Football Playoff teams, but Arizona State is playing its best football right now. Boise State impressed on Friday, but has been the far more shaky program down the stretch.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Arizona State Makes Case to Leap Boise State in CFP Rankings With Dominant Win vs. Iowa State.
