Arizona State Football senior running back Cam Skattebo didn’t hold back in the Big 12 Championship press conference Saturday regarding the “disrespect” he’s gotten throughout his football career.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Skattebo made his self-proclamation as the best running back in college football and made his case for being a Heisman finalist.
“No matter winning the Heisman or losing the Heisman, I should still be a (finalist),” Skattebo said.
"Nobody respects the fact that I'm the best running back in the country."
????Cam Skattebo (@camskattebo5 ) makes his Heisman case after hitting the pose three times in the Big 12 Championship after each of his touchdowns.
"Let's go. Get me to New York."@SunDevilSource pic.twitter.com/5jkMLdiLJZ
— Gabriella Chernoff (@gabbyjchernoff) December 7, 2024
The results are in: Skattebo isn’t a finalist.
The Heisman Trophy committee announced Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, Colorado corner back and wide receiver Travis Hunter, Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty and Miami quarterback Cam Ward as finalists on Monday. The quartet will travel to New York to find out who won on Saturday.
Congratulations to the 2024 Heisman Trophy finalists, @oregonfootball QB Dillon Gabriel, @CUBuffsFootball CB/WR Travis Hunter, @BroncoSportsFB RB Ashton Jeanty and @CanesFootball QB Cam Ward! #HeismanTrophy #MoreThanATrophy pic.twitter.com/ESmBdLSxWX
— The Heisman Trophy (@HeismanTrophy) December 9, 2024
It’s going to be a tough pill to swallow for The Valley not seeing its unsung hero celebrated as one of the best players in the country.
Skattebo had already been questionably snubbed for the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year honoring given to Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Though both players had exceptional years, Skattebo’s Sun Devils made it to the Big 12 title match and won, while Sanders and his Buffalos watched from home. Arizona State’s running back was named MVP of the game.
With all the arguments surrounding the importance of conference championships during this College Football Playoff, you would think Skattebo would get a little more credit, considering his team has a first round bye in the playoffs. But for two of the chosen finalist, it didn’t.
The first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff bracket has been revealed ????#CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/HFIyBuQXYV
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) December 8, 2024
Hunter, Sanders’ favorite target at Colorado, didn’t play for a Big 12 title and won’t see a playoff game. Ward and his Miami Hurricanes will be settling for a bowl game as well after dropping their final game of the season and ruining their playoff hopes.
The other two finalists will be joining Skattebo and the Sun Devils in the playoffs, as Gabriel and the Ducks claimed the top seed, and Boise State and Jeanty took the No. 3 spot. One of these candidates had significantly more help this season than Skattebo.
Oregon isn’t undefeated by accident — they may have the best roster in college football. It’s not a discredit to ASU, but a testament to how good Oregon actually is.
It’s nothing short of spectacular the way Gabriel was able to navigate through a tough B1G conference that boasts more teams in the playoffs than any other conference (4), but he definitely didn’t do it alone. According to 247sports, Oregon has had top 15 recruiting classes for the last three years, setting the bar with the No. 3 class in the country in the Class of 2024. And they’re not slowing down any time soon, with its 2025 class currently sitting at No. 4. Arizona State’s is currently ranked 48th in the country.
Gabriel obviously still has to make the throws and win games, but he’s definitely doing it with a higher grade of talent around him than Skattebo.
The only finalist of comparable to the Arizona State running back is his position-mate, Boise State’s Jeanty. Playing the same position as Skattebo, he rushed for almost 1,000 more yards this season than Skattebo has. Thought the Mountain West Conference has teams of significantly less value than the Big 12, Jeanty silenced the noise with an unbelievable three-touchdown performance against the Ducks in the second game of the season, running for almost 200 yards. The 37-34 finish was one of Oregon’s toughest games of the season.
All of the candidates posted top 10 numbers in their respective categories. No one is arguing that they don’t deserve to be their — The Valley just knows Skattebo does too.
It’s heartbreaking for the Senior Sun Devil, but it could work in ASU’s favor. This isn’t the first time he’s felt overlooked, and we see what type of player he is because of it. With the thought of being left out lingering in the back of his mind, who knows what type of monster we are going to get when Skattebo and Arizona State take the stage for their first playoff match in the Chick-fil-a Peach Bowl on Jan. 1.
“Nobody respects the fact that I’m the best running back in the country, and I’m going to stand on that,” Skattebo said. “If people disrespect that, I’m gonna keep going and proving people wrong. And whatever NFL team takes me is gonna get a gem.”
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Reporter Jordyn Bennett covers the Arizona Cardinals, Phoenix area sports and sports related topics. You can follow him on his X account, @j_bennett_live
