Dillingham: CFP committee should evaluate ASU with QB Sam Leavitt, not without

After ASU football’s blowout win in the Big 12 Championship, head coach Kenny Dillingham had a clear message for the College Football Playoff (CFP) selection committee.

“We’re 11-1 with (quarterback Sam Leavitt), we’re Big 12 champs when he’s on the field,” Dillingham said postgame Saturday. “And I think if you were to look at our resume with Sam Leavitt as our starting quarterback, I think you can really look deep and hard to see where we stand with conference champions because we’ve already made the decision that quarterbacks are very, very important to the college football committee.

“Well, I think it’s time to double-down on how important the quarterback is and look back at our season as our quarterback played.”

Dillingham referenced back to controversy surrounding last year’s four-team playoff, which kept Florida State out of the tournament despite a 12-0 record.

The Seminoles were kept out due to an injury sustained by starting quarterback Jordan Travis, who Dillingham coached when he was the FSU offensive coordinator, late in the season.

Dillingham suggested Saturday the same thought process that kept out Florida State should work in reverse as the reason ASU gets in.

“I think our play, we’re 11-1 with our starting quarterback having beat four ranked teams, having won the Big 12 Championship,” Dillingham said. “So I do think because we’ve made a standard that the quarterback is that valuable, I think there should be a real chance that we get a first-round bye, and I definitely think we should (at least) host a game.”

Leavitt missed the road game at Cincinnati on Oct. 19, ASU’s most recent loss, with a rib injury. The quarterback has thrown three touchdowns in five of his last six games with one interception since then.

Where is ASU football likely to land in the CFP?

At the start of the day, ASU would’ve been a 12-seed in the bracket, meaning it would play the highest-ranked team to not win their conference, the 5-seed, in the first round.

But with the statement made in a 45-19 blowout win, the Sun Devils have a chance to jump some teams.

Dillingham believes the win should be enough to at least reach hosting territory, which belongs to teams in the Nos. 5-8 seeds.

Most desirable, however, would be a first-round bye altogether. Those are awarded to the four conference champions the committee ranks highest.

The SEC and Big Ten have all but locked up first-round byes for their champions, but the final two slots (SMU, Boise State) remain in flux, and many national writers said ASU’s win should be enough to earn the bye.

The 12-team bracket will be revealed on Sunday at 10 a.m. on ESPN. Follow along on the Arizona Sports app and online.