ASU is headed to the Peach Bowl

ASU won the Big 12 conference, secured a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff, and is headed to Atlanta to compete in the Peach Bowl on New Year's Day.

Why it matters: The Sun Devils were predicted to finish in last place in the preseason conference poll — but head coach Kenny Dillingham's squad has defied every expectation since then.

Catch up quick: ASU trounced Iowa State 45-19 in Saturday's conference championship game, securing a spot in the 12-team playoffs.

• Under the new playoff system, the four highest-ranked conference champions receive a first-round bye and automatically advance to a quarterfinal bowl game. Going into the weekend, it appeared ASU (ranked No. 15) would be the fifth-highest-ranked champ.
• Yes, but: On Saturday night, No. 17 Clemson defeated No. 8 Southern Methodist University in the ACC championship game, elevating ASU to the fourth position.

1 bitter thing: A lot of Sun Devil fans thought ASU deserved to be ranked above Mountain West Conference champion Boise State, which would have allowed ASU to play in the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale instead of traveling to Atlanta.

The bottom line: It feels silly to complain when we are getting a coveted first-round bye — but it would have been awesome to see the Sun Devils play with a hometown crowd.