No. 16 Iowa State faces Skattebo, No. 12 Arizona State in Big 12 title game for playoff spot
No. 16 Iowa State faces Skattebo, No. 12 Arizona State in Big 12 title game for playoff spot
Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell, right, takes the field with his team, before first half of an NCAA college football game against Utah, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Egan)
Iowa State wide receiver Brett Eskildsen (81) and defensive back Jamison Patton (2) celebrate after their win over Utah in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Egan)
Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo (4) scores a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Arizona, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Samantha Chow)
Arizona State defensive back Xavion Alford, back, breaks up a pass intended for Kansas State wide receiver Jayce Brown (1) during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in Manhattan, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht (3) celebrates after a 15-yard touchdown run during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Cincinnati, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Iowa State wide receiver Jaylin Noel runs the ball, during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Utah, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Egan)
Iowa State wide receiver Jayden Higgins (9) catches a 15-yard touchdown pass in front of Kansas State safety Jack Fabris (36) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell, right, takes the field with his team, before first half of an NCAA college football game against Utah, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Egan)
Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell, right, takes the field with his team, before first half of an NCAA college football game against Utah, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Egan)
Iowa State wide receiver Brett Eskildsen (81) and defensive back Jamison Patton (2) celebrate after their win over Utah in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Egan)
Iowa State wide receiver Brett Eskildsen (81) and defensive back Jamison Patton (2) celebrate after their win over Utah in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Egan)
Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo (4) scores a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Arizona, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Samantha Chow)
Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo (4) scores a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Arizona, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Samantha Chow)
Arizona State defensive back Xavion Alford, back, breaks up a pass intended for Kansas State wide receiver Jayce Brown (1) during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in Manhattan, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Arizona State defensive back Xavion Alford, back, breaks up a pass intended for Kansas State wide receiver Jayce Brown (1) during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in Manhattan, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht (3) celebrates after a 15-yard touchdown run during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Cincinnati, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht (3) celebrates after a 15-yard touchdown run during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Cincinnati, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Iowa State wide receiver Jaylin Noel runs the ball, during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Utah, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Egan)
Iowa State wide receiver Jaylin Noel runs the ball, during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Utah, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Egan)
Iowa State wide receiver Jayden Higgins (9) catches a 15-yard touchdown pass in front of Kansas State safety Jack Fabris (36) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Iowa State wide receiver Jayden Higgins (9) catches a 15-yard touchdown pass in front of Kansas State safety Jack Fabris (36) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
No. 12 Arizona State (10-2, 7-2 Big 12, No. 15 CFP) vs. No. 16 Iowa State (10-2, 7-2, No. 16 CFP), at Arlington, Texas; Saturday, noon ET (ABC)
BetMGM College Football Odds: Arizona State by 2 1/2.
Series record: First meeting.
What’s at stake?
The Big 12 championship in the conference’s first season as a 16-team league and a spot in the College Football Playoff. League newcomer Arizona State, which has never won an outright conference championship in any league, is looking for its first 11-win season since 1996. The Cyclones already have 10 wins for the first time in program history. This is their second Big 12 title game appearance after a loss to Oklahoma in 2020.
Key matchup
Arizona State RB Cam Skattebo vs. the Iowa State defense. Skattebo has rushed for 1,397 yards and 17 touchdowns, ranking third in the Big 12 and eighth nationally with 127.1 yards rushing per game. He is the only 1,000-yard rusher in FBS who also has 400 yards receiving (468). His 1,866 yards from scrimmage are 40 short of setting the single-season school record. The Cyclones have one of the league’s best overall defenses, but rank 14th allowing 173.7 yards rushing per game.
Players to watch
Arizona State: Safety Xavion Alford has allowed only seven receptions for 76 yards while playing 424 snaps in coverage this season.
Iowa State: Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel are the first set of Cyclones receivers to both have 1,000 yards in the same season, and the only receiving pair in the country to do that this season. Higgins has 80 catches for 1,068 yards and nine TDs, while Noel has caught 67 passes for 1,013 yards and six scores.
Facts & figures
Iowa State QB Rocco Becht has thrown a touchdown in 16 consecutive games, and his 17 wins the last two seasons are the best two-year stretch for a QB in school history. ... Arizona State, the preseason pick to finish last in the Big 12, already has set a school record with a seven-win improvement from last year. That is two more than the Wildcats’ previous mark, with Indiana’s eight-win improvement the only better by an FBS team this season. ... Iowa State scored at least 29 points in four consecutive Big 12 games for the first time since 2005.
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