The first game of 2025 will be in Atlanta, with a former Big 12 team in its first year in the SEC meeting a former Pac-12 team in its first year in the Big 12. Do you understand everything? Welcome to the 2024 College Football Playoff.
(More CFPs: Ohio State vs. Oregon State | Boise State vs. Penn State | Notre Dame vs. Georgia)
Date: January 1 | Time: Noon ET | TV: ESPN | Line: Texas -12.5 | Total: 51.5
How these teams got here
Texas: The Longhorns jumped, circled and passed the Tigers to take the no. 12 Clemson 38-24. Jaydon Blue’s 77-yard TD run put the Tigers away in the fourth quarter as Texas rushed 46 times for 295 yards before kneeling to end the game.
Arizona State: The Sun Devils are the Big 12 champions of the season, coming out of nowhere. After a lackluster final season in the Pac-12 during Kenny Dillingham’s first year with the team, ASU has surged in the second half of 2024. ASU has won six straight since losing 24-14 at Cincinnati on Oct. 19. Victories include: Wins over Kansas State, BYU and Iowa State in the Big 12 title game.
How QBs stack up
Sam Levitt played four games as a freshman at Michigan State in 2023 before transferring to Arizona State. He won the starting job over Jeff Simms before the season and emerged as an effective passer in his first full season as a starter. Leavitt was 192 of 304 passing for 2,663 yards and 24 TDs with just five interceptions. He also rushed for 383 yards and five touchdowns.
Texas QB Quinn Ewers was 17 of 24 passing for 202 yards with a TD and an interception against the Tigers on Dec. 21. Ewers has thrown for 2,867 yards in 2024 and is completing 67% of his passes.
notable player
Texas WR Isaiah Bond: The Alabama transfer missed the CFP game against Clemson due to injury but is scheduled to return against the Sun Devils. Bond had one catch for 22 yards against Georgia in the SEC title game, with a costly drop resulting in an interception. For the season, he had 33 catches for 532 yards and five touchdowns and rushed four times for 98 yards and one score. Matthew Golden and Gunnar Helm are Texas’ top two receivers, and despite the emergence of freshman Ryan Wingo, Bond still adds a much-needed downfield element to the Texas offense. He is tied with Golden for the team lead at 16.1 yards per catch.
Arizona State RB Cam Skattebo: The fifth-place finisher in the Heisman race is a powerful force in ASU’s offense. Skattebo has 263 carries for 1,568 yards and 19 TDs, while also serving as Arizona State’s second-leading receiver with 37 catches for 506 yards and three scores. He is receiving more attention this season alongside leading receiver Jordyn Tyson. While players like Xavier Guillory and Melquan Stovall did against Iowa State, Arizona State’s offense will run through Skattebo.
the core of the game
This is a fascinating matchup between two of the most creative offenses in college football. Dillingham has engineered an offense that has scored 53 TDs this season, and Texas coach Steve Sarkisian will certainly have some new looks for the Arizona State defense. Sarkisian clearly saw a weakness in Clemson’s defense in the first round and continued to frustrate it. Can he find a vulnerability against Arizona State? The Sun Devils have allowed over 2,800 yards passing this season and are giving up 5.2 yards per game. This could be a game that focuses much more on the sustainability of the ASU defense than the ASU offense.
