Cam Skattebo, ASU Eyed as CFP Bracket Dark Horse By Fans After Winning Big 12 Title

Behind a dominant performance by running back Cam Skattebo, the No. 15 Arizona State Sun Devils beat the No. 16 Iowa State Cyclones 45-19 in the Big 12 Championship Game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday.

With the win, ASU clinched a spot in the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history.

As was the case throughout the season, Skattebo was the driving force behind Arizona State's success on Saturday, as he racked up 170 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, plus two receptions for 38 yards and a score for the Sun Devils.

Skattebo, who went over 2,000 total yards and 20 total touchdowns on the season in Saturday's win, was praised emphatically by college football fans and analysts on social media:

Arizona State improved to 11-2 on the year with the victory over ISU, and it is among the hottest teams in college football, having won six consecutive games since a loss to Cincinnati.

Given their recent rise, the Sun Devils were heralded as a potential dark-horse team in the CFP with a chance to make some noise:

After a field goal on Arizona State's first drive, Iowa State took a 7-3 lead on a three-yard touchdown pass from Rocco Becht to Carson Hansen, but it was all ASU from there.

The Sun Devils outscored the Cyclones 21-3 for the remainder of the half with Skattebo delivering multiple long runs and two short touchdowns during that timeframe:

Arizona State entered the half with a 24-10 lead, and things only got worse from there for Iowa State.

Sun Devils quarterback Sam Leavitt threw a pair of touchdown passes to Xavier Guillory in the third quarter, and he also hit Skattebo for a 33-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 35.

Skattebo struck the Heisman pose multiple times during Saturday's game, and while Colorado two-way superstar Travis Hunter is the heavy favorite to win the hardware, Skattebo has perhaps earned a trip to New York City as a finalist.

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty has the best chance to knock off Hunter for the Heisman after rushing for 2,497 yards, scoring 30 total touchdowns and leading the Broncos to the CFP, but Skattebo isn't far behind.

With over 2,000 total yards, 20 touchdowns and a CFP berth of his own, Skattebo would likely be widely considered the best running back in college football if not for Jeanty.

While Skattebo waits to see his Heisman status, the Sun Devils will also await word on whether they will have to play a first-round game in the CFP.

Since Boise State entered conference championship weekend ranked No. 10 in the poll, it is fairly unlikely that the Broncos will get bypassed by the Sun Devils.

While ASU's drubbing of Iowa State was more impressive than Boise State's 21-7 win over UNLV in the Mountain West Championship Game, it will be a surprise if the Sun Devils leap five spots to go above Boise State.

There is one other potential path to a bye, and that is if No. 17 Clemson beats No. 8 SMU in the ACC Championship Game, but Clemson would probably end up ranked ahead of ASU in that scenario.

Assuming the Sun Devils do not receive a bye, head coach Kenny Dillingham's team has the makings of a very tough matchup for a first-round opponent such as Notre Dame, Ohio State, Tennessee, Penn State, Georgia, Texas or Oregon, depending on the result of the SEC and Big Ten Championship Games.