For the first time in league history, the Big 12 had a four-way tie for first place with Arizona State, Iowa State, BYU, and Colorado all finishing the regular season with a 7-2 record in conference play.
After using tiebreaker protocols to send the Sun Devils and Cyclones to Arlington, the BYU Cougars, and Colorado Buffaloes were left out after entering Week 13 in a two-way tie atop the standings.
That won’t be the last time these four teams are compared this season, however, as the Alamo Bowl announced on Thursday.
In a press release from the Valero Alamo Bowl, it was announced that the quartet of ASU, ISU, BYU, and CU are the remaining teams in consideration for the 2024 Valero Alamo Bowl.
Consisting of teams from the Big 12 and Pac-12/Former Pac-12, the bowl’s decision-makers have narrowed their list down to two teams from each pool.
See the excerpts for each team below:
Big 12 Pool (this year’s visiting team)
#16 Iowa State is 10-2 (the highest win total in program history) and will play Arizona State in the Big 12 Football Championship at 11 a.m. on Saturday in Arlington. With a win, the Cyclones will be in the CFP. On a loss, they will be available when the Valero Alamo Bowl selects. Head coach Matt Campbell’s team has a balanced attack with quarterback Rocco Becht throwing to wide receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, the nation’s only pair with 1,000+ receiving yards each this year. Defensively, the Cyclones have allowed the fewest points since 2005 and are ranked #3 in the nation in pass yard defense yielding only 156.9 per game.
#18 BYU also finished their season with a 10-2 record and will be available when the Valero Alamo Bowl selects. The Cougars, who have never played in San Antonio, are led by Head Coach Kalani Sitake who has coached in 12 bowl games winning 10 of them. BYU concluded the regular season with double-digit victories for the third time in the last five seasons, and their defense leads the nation in interceptions with 18.
Pac-12/former Pac-12 Pool (this year’s home team)
#15 Arizona State went 10-2 in the regular season, its first 10-win season since 2014. The Sun Devils will play Iowa State in the Big 12 Football Championship on Saturday. With a win, Arizona State will be in the College Football Playoff. On a loss, they will be available to the Valero Alamo Bowl. Led by head coach Kenny Dillingham, quarterback Sam Leavitt (the nation’s highest graded freshman), and running back Cam Skattebo who has 17 touchdowns and 5.7 yards per carry average, the Sun Devils are on a five-game winning streak, averaging 32 points per game and 419.8 yards per game.
#23 Colorado finished their season with a 9-3 record and will be available when the Valero Alamo Bowl selects. This season’s squad is led by Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders, quarterback Shedeur Sanders (the nation’s #1 quarterback in completions, #2 in touchdown passes and #3 in passing yards) and Heisman favorite Travis Hunter who leads the Big 12 in receptions (92), receiving touchdowns (14), and passes defended (15)
So, by that estimation, the loser of the Big 12 Championship Game will face the team from the other side of the pool pairings. If Iowa State loses, the Cyclones will play Colorado, and if Arizona State loses, they’d play BYU… again?
With the bowl tie-ins still having to honor the Pac-12, it gets a little bit tricky, so we might have to give the folks in San Antonio a little bit of grace. Since the Sun Devils and Cougars have already played, they might make an exception, but that’s yet to be confirmed.
Either way, we will be getting an all-Big 12 bowl game on Saturday, December 28, at 6:30 p.m. CST and it will be televised on ABC. What more could you want?
