The Big 12 Championship Game between Arizona State and Iowa State represents the program’s biggest opportunity in decades – a chance to reach the College Football Playoff and compete with the Blue Bloods for a national championship.

This is arguably the biggest ASU football game since the 1996 Rose Bowl, and national title-contending Sun Devils quarterback Jake Plummer has followed this season closely and enthusiastically. He hasn’t been this excited watching his alma mater since Taylor Kelly, a fellow Idaho native, started winning games in the early 2010s.

Plummer arrived the evening before kickoff Arizona Sports’ Devils are heading to Dallas especially and shared his message with the players as they prepare for the biggest game of their lives.

“I think this team has matured a lot and they understand the position they’ve gotten themselves into by winning these games,” Plummer said. “That doesn’t change anything now. Go out and play this game like any other game. They’re playing Iowa State and it’s the Big 12 Championship. How great, what a great opportunity. Don’t look beyond that because you take care of what you have to worry about and play the way you’ve been playing, play hard for each other, play through the ups and downs and make sure you keep pushing no matter what what the situation is. You pull it out and then the fun can begin.

“There could be a bigger game later. We didn’t have any more games in the Rose Bowl after that. … We knew that if we won that game, we could be the absolute state champions. So that was really a huge game. … This is still a huge game, I mean, it’s projected to finish last in the Big 12, and here they are playing for the Big 12 Championship, so don’t be happy and content with that. Go out there and prove to the world and everyone watching that we deserve to be here.”

Plummer has had a chance to observe this team up close, even as far back as spring training when quarterback Sam Leavitt, a redshirt freshman transfer, caught his attention. (Plummer said he sees comparisons between his game and Leavitt’s in terms of how hard the freshman plays. The former noted that Leavitt was more advanced than Plummer as a freshman in 1993.)

Does ASU legend Jake Plummer see similarities between his game and Sam Leavitt’s? pic.twitter.com/oSlvFM4FYl

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Plummer praised the impact Leavitt and running back Cam Skattebo had in setting the tone for the team.

And the 1996 All-American praised ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham for his authenticity and building a culture in Tempe. He praised the young head coach’s character for sharing his rewards with his staff and said the efforts he puts in result in a team that gives its heart.

“It’s obviously because he was right there in Tempe as a kid, watching the Sun Devils and having his dream job,” Plummer said. “I mean, he puts all his energy and effort and the consistent message behind it. While the guys he’s put together this year are working to bring a lot of new players into the program, whatever he’s doing is getting them to go out and play for each other because that’s really what matters.

“I love what Kenny has done. It’s fun to have someone who is really committed to bringing back alumni from all eras, not just the good teams, but everyone who played in a Sun Devil uniform. Come watch training, come talk to the players, come and be a part of what he’s trying to build. And it’s beautiful to look at and authentic.”

ASU and Iowa State will open the Big 12 title game on Saturday at 10 a.m. MST. Listen to play-by-play coverage on 98.7 FM, on the Arizona Sports app or online. The State of the Sun Devils pregame show begins at 7 a.m. Watch the game on ABC.

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