How BYU, Iowa State, Colorado stack up against ASU

Arizona State avoided even a hint of drama in the Big 12 Championship Game run Saturday. Despite entering the rivalry week staring down the Territorial Cup against rival Arizona, the Sun Devils looked ready for the moment. They left no doubt with a dominating 49-7 win on the road in Tucson.

With that win, Kenny Dillingham and Arizona State punched their ticket to the Big 12 Championship Game and will be the No. 1 in the conference standings when all is said and done. It’s a remarkable run for this Sun Devils team to win 10 games and find themselves in this spot, but it’s more than deserved.

What remains to be seen, however, is which team Arizona State will face in the Big 12 Championship Game, as three teams remain alive entering the night slots on Saturday. So let’s take a look at how BYU, Iowa State and Colorado can all still make a play for the conference championship.

BYU has the easiest path to the Big 12 title game of the remaining teams alive in the final week of the regular season. If the Cougars can continue to rebound and win at home in Provo over the Houston Cougars (10:15 p.m. ET on Saturday), it will put Kalani Sitake’s team in the conference championship game.

Unfortunately for BYU, the results of the rivalry week have put the program in a win-and-in situation, but also a lose-and-out situation. With Colorado already having its Week 14 win comfortably under its belt, the Cougars can’t afford a third loss or they’ll be out of the Big 12 Championship Game.

The first thing Matt Cambell and Iowa State need to do to give themselves a chance to get to the Big 12 Championship Game is win Farmageddon against the rival Kansas State Wildcats on Saturday night (7:30 p.m. ET). A loss in their rivalry game, which the Cyclones are hosting this year, will eliminate them from the race.

That said, Iowa State needs some help as well. The Cyclones would need a win AND a BYU loss to get to Arlington for the conference championship game against the Sun Devils. They are still in a fine place, but not one where they control their own destiny.

Speaking of not controlling their own destiny, that’s the position Colorado finds itself in. The good news for Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes is that they’ve already got the roll in their check out of the way. Friday’s 52-0 shellacking of Oklahoma State is the first part of the equation they needed to get likely Heisman winner Travis Hunter into the Big 12 title game.

However, they need the most help from the still-living candidates. Colorado would need both BYU and Iowa State to lose to Houston and Kansas State, respectively. It’s not likely, to be sure, but with the chaos that has surrounded the Big 12 all season, crazier things have happened.