No. 15 Arizona State and No. 16 Iowa State meet on Saturday at the Big 12 Championship Game at AT&T Stadium with a trip to the College Football Playoff on the line. The surprising Sun Devils have charged from last place in the conference in 2023 to the Big 12 title game after posting a 10-2 record.
Iowa State nearly blew a historic 7-0 start with back-to-back losses but recovered to win its last three games and capture the first 10-win season in program history. The Cyclones clinched a spot in the title game last week in a competitive win over Kansas State.
Despite sharing a conference, Iowa State and Arizona State have never played. The Sun Devils are searching for their first championship since Dennis Erickson led ASU to a Pac-10 co-title in 2007. Iowa State is in the midst of the longest drought in FBS history, with its last championship coming in 1912 as members of the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Associatio -- which later split into the Missouri Valley and Big Eight.
How to watch Arizona State vs. Iowa State live
Date: Saturday, Dec. 7 | Time: 12 p.m. ET
Location: AT&T Stadium -- Arlington, Texas
TV: ABC | Live stream: fubo (Try for free)
Arizona State vs. Iowa State: Need to know
Dynamic running back: Arizona State's Cameron Skattebo might be the most underrated running back in the country. The former Sacramento State standout trails only Boise State's Ashton Jeanty in all-purpose yards per game, posting a blistering 169.6 yards with 19 touchdowns on 6.6 yards per play. Over his final two games, Skattebo racked up 324 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. He should be able to create opportunities against an ISU rushing defense that ranked among the worst in the Big 12.
Aerial battle: Iowa State has dominated the air in both directions against Big 12 opponents. The Cyclones produced a pair of 1,000 yard receivers -- Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel -- for the first time in program history and posted a top-40 passing offense. However, the safety trio of Beau Breyler, Malik Verdon and Jeremiah Cooper are the biggest stars of the show. The Cyclones rank No. 3 nationally against the pass, trailing only Texas and Ohio State. Iowa State sits behind only Notre Dame in opposing completion percentage.
Key injury: Arizona State wide receiver Jordan Tyson leads the nation in receiving yards over the past nine weeks. Unfortunately, he will miss the Big 12 title game with an upper body injury suffered in the season finale against Arizona. Tyson posted 75 catches for 1,100 yards and 10 touchdowns. The rest of the ASU receivers combined for 41 catches for 634 yards and four touchdowns. With Tyson sidelined, even more will be on Skattebo against the Iowa State defense.
Arizona State vs. Iowa State prediction, picks
It's rare that an individual player can swing a championship game, but the loss of Tyson could do just that. Iowa State boasts an elite passing defense the Sun Devils don't have the weapons to attack it if the offense is one-dimensional. If ISU keeps the game in front of it, the Cyclones will finally end their 112-year conference title drought. Pick: Iowa State +2.5
SportsLine's proven computer model is calling for three outright upsets during college football's championship week. Visit SportsLine now to see them all, plus get spread picks for every game from the model that simulates every matchup 10,000 times.