Arizona State delivered one of the biggest surprises of the Big 12 season with a stunning 24-14 upset over No. 16 Kansas State, solidifying their place in the Big 12 Championship race.
The Sun Devils, who entered the game as 7.5-point underdogs, shocked the Wildcats and their home crowd by jumping out to a commanding 24-0 lead and never looked back.
Quarterback Sam Leavitt was the engine of ASU's offense, completing 21-of-34 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns. His favorite target, Jordyn Tyson, had a game for the ages with 12 catches, 176 yards, and two touchdowns. Running back Cam Skattebo chipped in with 73 hard-fought yards on 25 carries, giving the Sun Devils a balanced offensive attack.
ASU's defense was just as impactful, forcing three turnovers, including two interceptions and a crucial fumble recovery. The biggest defensive play came late in the fourth quarter when Shamari Simmons picked off Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson in the end zone, effectively sealing the game.
This win moves Arizona State to 8-2 overall and 5-2 in Big 12 play during their inaugural season in the conference. It also handed Kansas State their first home loss of the year, dropping the Wildcats to 7-3 overall and 4-3 in the Big 12.
With the loss, Arizona State is now set up for a potential backdoor into the Big 12 Championship, and as a result, the Sun Devils aren't out of the College Football Playoff race. If Arizona State were to beat BYU next weekend, the Sun Devils would need the Cougars to lose one more — either tonight to Kansas in a game that is still going on at the time of publication, or to lose their final game against Houston — for a direct path.
With so much left on the table, the next two weeks of the Big 12 season are going to be interesting to say the least.
In addition, it will be interesting to see what the CFP Rankings look like on Tuesday with Kansas State likely falling out of the Top-25 and Arizona State moving into the Top-25.
We've got chaos on our hands, for sure, and college football fans are ready for two more regular season weeks.