Football
The first game of 2025 will happen in Atlanta as a former Big 12 team in its first year in the SEC will meet a former Pac-12 team in its first year in the Big 12. Got all that? Welcome to the 2024 College Football Playoff.
[More CFP: Ohio State vs. Oregon | Boise State vs. Penn State | Notre Dame vs. Georgia]
Date: Jan. 1 | Time: Noon ET | TV: ESPN | Line: Texas -12.5 | Total: 51.5
How these teams got here
Texas: The Longhorns took down No. 12 Clemson 38-24 by running over, around and through the Tigers. Jaydon Blue’s 77-yard TD put the Tigers away in the fourth quarter as Texas rushed 46 times for 295 yards ahead of the kneeldowns it took to end the game.
Arizona State: The Sun Devils are the Big 12 champions in a season that came out of nowhere. After a lackluster final season in the Pac-12 during Kenny Dillingham’s inaugural year with the team, ASU surged in the second half of 2024. ASU has won six straight games after a 24-14 loss at Cincinnati on Oct. 19. The wins included victories over Kansas State, BYU and then Iowa State in the Big 12 title game.
How the QBs stack up
Sam Leavitt transferred to Arizona State after playing four games as a freshman at Michigan State in 2023. He won the starting job over Jeff Sims before the season and has emerged as an effective passer in his first full season as a starter. Leavitt as 192-of-304 passing for 2,663 yards and 24 TDs with just five interceptions. He’s also rushed for 383 yards and five touchdowns.
Texas QB Quinn Ewers was 17-of-24 passing for 202 yards with a TD and an interception against the Tigers on Dec. 21. Ewers has thrown for 2,867 yards in 2024 and is completing 67% of his passes.
Players to watch
Texas WR Isaiah Bond: The Alabama transfer missed the CFP game against Clemson because of an injury but is set to return against the Sun Devils. Bond had one catch for 22 yards against Georgia in the SEC title game and also had a costly drop that led to an interception. For the season, he has 33 catches for 532 yards and five touchdowns and has rushed four times for 98 yards and a score. Matthew Golden and Gunnar Helm are Texas’ top two receivers and freshman Ryan Wingo has emerged, but Bond still adds a downfield element the Texas offense badly needs. He’s tied with Golden for the team lead at 16.1 yards a catch.
Arizona State RB Cam Skattebo: The No. 5 finisher in the Heisman race is the man who powers the ASU offense. Skattebo has 263 carries for 1,568 yards and 19 TDs while also serving as Arizona State’s second-leading receiver with 37 catches for 506 yards and three scores. He’s even more of a focal point with leading receiver Jordyn Tyson out for the season, too. While players like Xavier Guillory and Melquan Stovall stepped up against Iowa State, Arizona State’s offense is going to run through Skattebo.
Key to the game
This is a fascinating matchup between two of the most creative offensive minds in college football. Dillingham has schemed an offense that has scored 53 TDs this season while Texas coach Steve Sarkisian will assuredly have a couple of new looks for the Arizona State defense. Sarkisian clearly saw a weakness in the Clemson run defense in the first round and thwarted it over and over and over. Can he find a vulnerability against Arizona State? The Sun Devils have allowed over 2,800 yards passing this season and are giving up 5.2 yards per play. This may be a game that’s much more about the staying power of the ASU defense than the ASU offense.
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