ASU football punches ticket to College Football Playoff

No. 15 ASU football will be in the College Football Playoff bracket on Sunday after it dominated No. 16 Iowa State 45-19 in the Big 12 Championship Game on Saturday.

Although the Sun Devils can rest easy knowing they’re in, they won’t know their opponent — as well as whether they’ll get a first-round bye — until the selection show on Sunday at 10 a.m. MST on ESPN.

“I think we should be treated as an 11-1 team,” head coach Kenny Dillingham told ESPN reporter Katie George postgame, referring to ASU’s loss at Cincinnati without quarterback Sam Leavitt.

“As far as I’m concerned, you’ve punched your ticket to [Glendale for the Fiesta Bowl],” Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said before handing the championship trophy to Dillingham.

Bye weeks are awarded to the four highest-rated conference champions, according to the committee’s rankings.

Saturday night’s ACC Championship Game between No. 8 SMU and No. 17 Clemson will likely be the indicator, as SMU would almost certainly hang on to its bye slot with a win.

No. 10 Boise State beat No. 20 UNLV at home in the Mountain West title game on Saturday to likely maintain its bye.

However, the point differential of ASU’s dominant win could factor into the seeding too, as the committee weighs Boise State’s 14-point win over a No. 20 team at home against ASU’s 26-point win over a No. 16 team on a neutral field.

The first two bye slots will likely go to the SEC and Big Ten champions, as No. 2 Texas and No. 5 Georgia will square off at 2 p.m. and No. 1 Oregon and No. 3 Penn State play at 6 p.m.

What could ASU’s first playoff game look like?

The Sun Devils could potentially be set up for a Fiesta Bowl appearance in the quarterfinal with a bye week or a first-round win.

If it doesn’t get the bye week, ASU would likely be one of the final teams slotted in, even if the blowout win allows the Sun Devils to jump No. 11 Alabama.

No bye week would likely mean going on the road to play the loser of the SEC or Big Ten title game on their campus in the first round. Notre Dame could also host the first-round matchup.

The first round will be played on Dec. 21, with one game starting the previous Friday night at 6 p.m. MST. The Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31 is the first quarterfinal before the rest are played on Jan. 1.

Follow along Sunday on the Arizona Sports app or online for more on ASU’s CFP outlook.