Arizona State coach deserves college football coach of the year award over Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman

Kenny Dillingham was the best college football coach in the country this season

The debate over who should be the college football coach of the year was settled long ago.

The winner will officially be announced on Wednesday during the Paul “Bear” Bryant Awards ceremony on CBS Sports Network. The finalists are Shane Beamer, South Carolina; Curt Cignetti, Indiana; Spencer Danielson, Boise State; Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State; Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame; Rhett Lashlee, Southern Methodist; Jeff Monken, Army; and Steve Sarkisian, Texas.

But after leading Arizona State on one of the most miraculous runs in sports history — not just college football history — 34-year-old Sun Devils coach Dillingham all but secured the coveted award in early December.

An afterthought to begin the 2024 college football season, Arizona State was picked to finish last in the Big 12 and was projected to win fewer than 5 games. The Sun Devils were coming off a 3-9 season, had a revamped roster and were transitioning to a new conference from the Pac-12.

Fast forward four months and Arizona State (11-3) stunned the college football world by qualifying for the Big 12 football championship, then pummeling Iowa State 45-19 in the championship game.

And they weren’t done yet.

One Blown Call Away From CFP Semifinals

Massive underdogs to Texas in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals, Arizona State outplayed the Longhorns, holding them to 53 yards rushing and outgaining them 510 yards to 375. The Sun Devils lost 39-31 in double overtime, but they should have had an opportunity to win the game in regulation.

With the Peach Bowl tied 24-24 and just over one minute to play in the fourth quarter, Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt completed a 10-yard pass to Melquan Stovall over the middle. Stovall was immediately hit, helmet to helmet, by Texas safety Michael Taaffe. Stovall fell to the turf and did not get up for several minutes.

No flag was thrown on the field, but the play was reviewed for targeting. The officials determined it was not targeting, and Arizona State was faced with 4th-and-5 at their own 48-yard line with 1:03 to play. If targeting had been correctly called, ASU would have had the ball 1st-and-10 at the Texas 37-yard line — and Taaffe would have been ejected.

There’s no guarantee Arizona State would have won the game, but the Sun Devils should have had the opportunity to control the final 1:03 and set up a potential game-winning field goal — or even bust a big run by running back Cam Skattebo, who dominated Texas in the second half and was named the Peach Bowl’s Offensive MVP.

After the game, Gene Steratore, former NFL and college basketball official and current rules analyst for CBS Sports, said targeting should have been called.

“My phone has been burning up all morning,” Steratore wrote on X. “Yes, this should have been a flag for targeting in Texas vs. Arizona State. It meets all of the criteria of targeting (Rule 9-1-4).”

Add it all up, and it’s clear Arizona State was one of the four best teams in the country — one year after being one of the worst.

And Dillingham was the miracle worker at the center of it all.