Arizona State makes the College Football Playoff, now what?

If I were to have told you just four short months ago that Arizona State was not only going to win the Big 12 but also get a bye in the playoffs, you probably would have laughed at me. Arizona State finished seeded as the fourth overall conference champion and the No. 10 overall ranking. Now with both of those things in the rearview mirror, what is next?

With a bye to the quarter-finals in hand, the Sun Devils have their work cut out for them. Headed to Atlanta as the calendar turns over to January gives them several weeks to prepare.

As the fourth seed in the College Football playoffs, ASU will either play the No. 5 seed or the No. 12 seed in the second round. This season those two teams are the Clemson Tigers or the Texas Longhorns. From the ACC and the SEC respectively, both teams have their strong/weak suits. So how can Arizona State come out with a win in the Peach Bowl?

An Arizona State player celebrates in confetti after winning the Big 12 Championship. (Photo by Truitt Robinson/Sun Devil Daily)

Texas and Clemson: Who does Arizona State want to see?

While this question may seem easy for the common Sun Devil fan, the avid watcher may not agree. While Clemson coach Dabo Sweeney has a playoff pedigree, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian has the defense to compete with anyone in the country. Texas was an overtime away from beating Georgia on Saturday after Carson Beck for Georgia went down. Clemson on the other hand had a fourth-quarter meltdown in the ACC championship game and it took their freshman kicker to nail a 57-yard field goal to secure the win against SMU.

Clemson certainly provides a slew of challenges for Arizona State. Cade Klubnik leads the Tigers offense with 3300 yards of total offense through the air with his 4/1 touchdown to interception ratio. If it’s not Klubnik through the air, Phil Mafah leads the Tigers with 1100 yards of offense on the ground and eight touchdowns on the ground. However, Mafah has been nursing a shoulder injury over the last several weeks and has not been a massive contributor to the team.

On the Texas side, their defense has been dominant this season. Texas ranks third in the country allowing just 4.00 yards/play and 249.5 yards/game. For reference, the Sun Devils had 467 yards of total offense against Iowa State last Saturday. For the Sun Devils to win that game, they are going to have to find a way to break through that defensive front seven of the Longhorns to set up the passing game for Sam Leavitt. To Arizona State’s benefit, they have one of the best running backs in Cam Skattebo. Skattebo is averaging 175.54 all-purpose yards per game, the Longhorns are going to need to find an answer for him.

How can Arizona State come away victorious?

While Cam Skattebo will get his yards any which way he needs to, the team is going to need an answer through the air if they want to beat either Texas or Clemson in the Peach Bowl. Hines Ward and Marcus Arroyo will have their work cut out for them to find answers if this team wants to win.

Will that next-man-up mentality see Xavier Guillory step up again after his two-touchdown performance against Iowa State? Maybe Melquan Stovall after his 68-yard Hail Mary in Arlington? Whoever it is, the Sun Devils will need to continue embracing the underdog, chip-on-their-shoulder mentality that Dillingham has instilled this season. Arizona State will be the underdog from a betting perspective regardless of the opponent (DraftKings Sportsbook).

“I don’t think it will ever be possible to overachieve as much as we have this season,” Dillingham said. The Sun Devils have not lost a game with Sam Leavitt healthy since Oct. 19 on the road against Texas Tech. Arizona State fans need to buy into what Dillingham is selling because the valley should activated after this run regardless of the result.

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