Andrew Joseph

azcentral sports

It's fitting that the College Football Playoff championship trophy is making its visit to Tempe this week.

After all, it'll serve as a reminder of what Saturday's game between Arizona State and Notre Dame is really about.

The game that Notre Dame tried to get out of now means so much for the Irish's season while a win for the Sun Devils could catapult ASU to an unthinkable territory after Sept. 25's 62-27 loss to UCLA ... a Playoff contender.

It's not everyday we see a marquee non-conference game in November. In most years, such a game could take the focus away from ASU's ultimate goal of a Pac-12 South and conference title.

But college football is in a new era.

With committee members deciding the first-ever football "Final Four," Saturday's game couldn't be coming at a better time. The Sun Devils have an opportunity to make a national statement, one that would force the committee to dismiss the UCLA loss as an aberration rather than a sign of weakness.

Of course ASU still has to win its Pac-12 games, and this year's Territorial Cup could have even more at stake than last season's meeting.

Notre Dame, on the other hand, needs to win. The Irish felt robbed after the would-be game-winning touchdown was disallowed against Florida State, and they now find themselves searching for a signature win. A win on Saturday would be just that.

One team's College Football Playoff hopes will likely end Saturday in Tempe.

It's a game that almost didn't happen, but now, it means everything.

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