Turnover margin may be the most important stat in football and it is one of the reasons 16th ranked Iowa State will play number-12 Arizona State in Saturday’s Big-12 Championship in Dallas. The Cyclones are a plus nine in turnover margin while the Sun Devils are 11th in the country at plus 11.

That’s ISU coach Matt Campbell who says turnovers can create or change the momentum of a game.

It’s Iowa State’s first appearance in the title game since a 27-21 loss to Oklahoma in 2020.

Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham visited Iowa State coach Matt Campbell when he was an assistant at Auburn. He has turned around a Sun Devil program that was 3-9 last season.

Campbell passed on a chance to lobby for the Big 12 with the playoff selection committee. It appears the league champ will need a lot of help to get a first round bye and getting more than one team in is not a given.