Just about everything in the Big 12 was unexpected this season. The league added four new members, bringing in Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah from the collapsing Pac-12. Utah and Arizona were expected to contend for the league title in year one, but instead it was the Sun Devils—a team that went just 3–9 a year ago and was picked to finish dead last in its first Big 12 season—that lifted the conference trophy at AT&T Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Sun Devils didn't need to be reminded about the meager preseason expectations for the program. After Saturday's dominant 45–19 conference championship win, star running back Cam Skattebo let everyone know that Arizona State was well aware.
