Arizona State earns berth in Big 12 championship game

On December 1, 2024By Littum

PHOENIX (AZ Family) — The Sun Devils’ dream season is headed to Texas.

On Saturday night, Arizona State earned a spot in the Big 12 Conference championship game. After beating archrival Arizona on Saturday afternoon to close out a 10-2 regular season, other conference results later in the day officially clinched the Sun Devils’ spot in the Dec. 7 game to be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

The run to the title game marks the latest feat for a Sun Devil team that was picked 16th – dead last – in the conference’s preseason media poll. In head coach Kenny Dillingham’s second season, ASU has become one of the nation’s biggest success stories, more than tripling last season’s win total thanks to a stout defense, the overall production of running back Cam Skattebo and the dynamic aerial combination of Sam Leavitt and Jordyn Tyson.

With the trip to the championship game, the Sun Devils are in prime position to make their first ever trip to the College Football Playoff. ASU entered the weekend ranked No. 16 in the latest playoff rankings, and a conference title win would not only put the Sun Devils in the 12-team field, but also put them in a great position to secure a first-round bye at No. 4 seed.

“After the last couple of years with the previous administration and getting them out of here, this has just been a wonderful ride and we’re going to continue to enjoy this for what it is,” ASU Fan Mike Holmes said.

Saturday will mark the first appearance for ASU in a conference championship game since 2013, when the Sun Devils hosted Stanford with the Pac-12 title on the line. ASU lost that game 38-14.

“It’s a dream come true, I’m not going to lie. We come to ASU, we go to all these games, we watch these games at the bar, and it’s never something we thought could happen, ” said ASU fan Jonathan Pacheco.

For those Sun Devil fans looking to attend the Big 12 Conference championship game, click/tap here for a complete breakdown of what you need to know.

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