Just two months ago, Arizona State (5-2 overall, 3-2 conference) and Iowa State (5-3, 2-3) had ambitions of a second consecutive Big 12 Championship berth.
Now, both football teams have bowl eligibility on their minds when they square off Saturday at Jack Trice Stadium in a conference championship rematch.
“The Big 12 championship is pretty much out of our reach right now,” Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht told reporters after Saturday’s 41-27 loss to Brigham Young. “You hate to say it, but that’s (the) reality.”
Cincinnati and BYU, both 5-0 in the Big 12, are running away with undefeated conference records. Houston and Texas Tech, each 4-1, have only one conference loss.
If ASU matches any of their records, it would not have the tie-breaker against the Cougars.
The Big 12 finished in a four-way tie for first place with Arizona State, Iowa State, BYU and Colorado in 2024.
Because ASU held the tie-breaker over BYU and ISU over Colorado, the two met in Irving, Texas, for the conference championship.
The Sun Devils capped off a historic regular season with an emphatic 45-19 victory over the Cyclones.
The win propelled ASU into the College Football Playoff and gave the Sun Devils their first conference championship in 17 years.
Less than a year later, a wounded ASU prepares for another road test without starting quarterback Sam Leavitt and, potentially, star wide-receiver Jordyn Tyson. Leavitt is out with a foot injury that will require surgery and sideline him for the season, ASU coach Kenny Dillingham said Friday. Tyson is “doubtful” with a pulled hamstring.
Veteran quarterback Jeff Sims will start against the Cyclones and Malik McClain is expected to get the bulk of touches on the receiving side.
“(It’s) hard losing the top guy on your roster, a top guy in the country … I think guys understand the demand,” ASU offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo said.
Though Iowa State has already amassed three conference losses and is coming off a home loss against BYU, Dillingham knows the Cyclones are no slouch.
”They played an unbelievable game last week,” Dillingham said. “That score was not a reflection of the football game that they played. I thought they, in a lot of ways, played their best football game of the year. Turnovers just kill you.”
The Cyclones look to avoid spiraling into a four-game losing streak, a similar skid they had in 2022, the last time they dropped that many consecutive contests.
But ASU still has a window of opportunity to return to the Big 12 Championship game.
A tiny window, but a window nonetheless.
Iowa State coach Matt Campbell understands that and sees the potential in his opponent.
“They’ve got championship pedigree,” Campbell said. “(They’re) probably the most athletic team that we’ve played across the board all season.”
Based on the performances from the rest of the Big 12, the more likely scenario is that the Sun Devils play in their first non-playoff bowl game since 2021.
The expectations put on ASU now are a far cry from the beginning of the season when the Associated Press listed the Sun Devils as the 11th best team in the nation.
Dillingham was asked Wednesday if he would sit starters and give younger players the opportunity to gear up for next season if the Sun Devils were to lose in this unranked matchup against ISU.
“I don’t get asked the question last year,” Dillingham said. “We are trying to win games. It’s funny (the difference) a year makes.”
Aside from winning out the remainder of the regular season, the Sun Devils’ fate is, somewhat, out of their hands.
Even if they win every game, the Sun Devils still need Cincinnati to lose at least three times, BYU and Houston to lose at least twice and Utah to lose at least once among other results.
Arizona State is no stranger to scoreboard watching. It is how the Sun Devils learned they were headed to the Big 12 Championship game last year.
Only now, ASU has two critical conference losses and will be without its starting quarterback for the remainder of the season, Dillingham said.
“We talked all offseason about responding to adversity,” Dillingham said. “You have some guys out, but there are no excuses … push every chip in there to try and get this ‘W.’”
Be the first to comment