The first game of 2025 will be in Atlanta when a former Big 12 team in its first year in the SEC meets a former Pac-12 team in its first year in the Big 12. Did you understand all of that? Welcome to the 2024 College Football Playoff.

(More CFP: Ohio State vs. Oregon | Boise State vs. Penn State | Notre Dame vs. Georgia)

Date: January 1st | Time: Noon ET | TV: ESPN | Line: Texas -12.5 | Overall: 51.5

How these teams got here

Texas: The Longhorns defeated No. 12 Clemson 38-24 by running over, around and through the Tigers. Jaydon Blue’s 77-yard TD clinched the Tigers in the fourth quarter as Texas rushed 46 times for 295 yards before squatting the game.

Arizona State: The Sun Devils are the Big 12 champions in a season that came out of nowhere. After a lackluster final season in the Pac-12 during Kenny Dillingham’s first year with the team, ASU rose sharply in the second half of 2024. After a 24-14 loss at Cincinnati on Oct. 19, ASU has won six straight games. The wins included wins over Kansas State, BYU and then Iowa State in the Big 12 title game.

How the QBs perform

Sam Leavitt transferred to Arizona State after playing four games as a freshman at Michigan State in 2023. He won the starting job over Jeff Sims before the season and has proven to be an effective passer in his first full season as a starter. Leavitt was 192 of 304 passing for 2,663 yards and 24 touchdowns with just five interceptions. He also passed for 383 yards and five touchdowns.

Texas QB Quinn Ewers completed 17 of 24 passes for 202 yards with a TD and an interception against the Tigers on December 21st. Ewers threw for 2,867 yards in 2024 and completed 67% of his passes.

Players to watch

Texas WR Isaiah Bond: The Alabama transfer missed the CFP game against Clemson due to injury but is expected to return against the Sun Devils. Bond had one catch for 22 yards in the SEC title game against Georgia and also had a costly drop that resulted in an interception. This season he had 33 catches for 532 yards and five touchdowns and ran four times for 98 yards and a score. Matthew Golden and Gunnar Helm are Texas’ top two receivers, and freshman Ryan Wingo has emerged, but Bond still adds a downfield element that the Texas offense desperately needs. He is tied with Golden for the team lead with 16.1 yards per catch.

Arizona State RB Cam Skattebo: The No. 5 finisher in the Heisman race is the man driving the ASU offense. Skattebo has 263 carries for 1,568 yards and 19 touchdowns and is also Arizona State’s second-leading receiver with 37 catches for 506 yards and three scores. He’s even more of a focus now that leading receiver Jordyn Tyson is also out for the season. While players like Xavier Guillory and Melquan Stovall lined up against Iowa State, Arizona State’s offense will run through Skattebo.

Key to the game

This is a fascinating matchup between two of the most creative offensive minds in college football. Dillingham has engineered an offense that has scored 53 touchdowns this season, while Texas coach Steve Sarkisian will certainly have a few new looks for Arizona State’s defense. Sarkisian clearly recognized a weakness in Clemson’s run defense in the first round and repeatedly thwarted it. Can he find a weakness against Arizona State? The Sun Devils have allowed over 2,800 yards this season and are giving up 5.2 yards per play. This game may be much more about the tenacity of the ASU defense than the ASU offense.