Big 12 Title Preview: Arizona State Sun Devils vs Iowa State Cyclones

It’s conference championship week in college football, and leading off the Saturday slate is the Big 12 title game between the Arizona State Sun Devils and the Iowa State Cyclones.

Both teams come in ranked in the top 20 of the latest College Football Playoff rankings, with the Sun Devils coming in at No. 15, and the Cyclones coming in right behind them at No. 16.

This matchup comes after what was a wild ride in the Big 12 standings this year, a couple of weeks ago it looked like BYU was in the driver seat, then it was Colorado after Iowa State dropped a couple of games, Arizona State came out of nowhere to get to Arlington.

When the first media poll came out in July, Utah was originally picked to win the Big 12, but after a lot of injuries this year, the Utes finished 13th in the conference with a 2-7 record (5-7 overall).

Iowa State was picked to finish sixth in conference, right around the middle of the pack.

Arizona State was picked to finish last.

The job that head coach Kenny Dillingham has done with his squad is nothing short of remarkable. He took a program that has been pretty mediocre for the better part of a decade now, and put them back on a national stage.

Arizona State is led by quarterback Sam Leavitt. The redshirt freshman has had a phenomenal season, throwing for 2,444 yards and 21 touchdowns, opposed to only 5 interceptions. His 78.6 QBR is good for 16th best in the nation.

The Sun Devils also have one of the best running backs in the country, Cam Skattebo.

The senior back has rushed for 1,398 yards, which is eighth in the country and 17 touchdowns, which is tied for ninth in the country. He has also caught 35 passes for 468 yards and two touchdowns.

Not taking anything away from Iowa State though, who has also played well this season. The Cyclones started off 7-0, and reached as high as No. 9 in the AP poll this season, but a couple of late losses have pushed them back to 16th in what is now the CFP poll.

Head coach Matt Campbell has his Cyclones in the Big 12 championship for the second time in his tenure, the first coming in 2020 where they lost to Oklahoma 27-21.

The Cyclones have also accomplished a milestone for the program, they have won 10 games in a single season for this first time ever.

Offensively, Iowa State has a good passing attack led by quarterback Rocco Becht. The redshirt sophomore has thrown for 3,021 yards, 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

They also have two 1,000 yard receivers in Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, with Higgins leading the team with 1,068 yards. Noel is not far behind however, with 1,013 respectively.

This game has major CFP implications, with the winner of this one getting what will most likely be the Big 12’s only entry into the tournament. Right now, Arizona State is the favorite by 2.5 points.

The Sun Devils are also projected to be the 12 seed, and would have to travel to Happy Valley to play fifth seeded Penn State.

This will be one of the most entertaining games of the day, with both squads being pretty evenly matched.

For Iowa State, I believe their key to victory is by slowing down Cam Skattebo. Arizona State will need to keep Iowa State’s passing attack in check.

My pick: ASU wins 26-23.

Evan Pochas is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email ejp5753@psu.edu.