Stats don't lie: Cam Skattebo is the best running back in the Big 12
The Big 12 is loaded with elite running backs. Just ask Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham.
"It's a loaded group up front," Dillingham said on Monday when asked about the running back talent in the Big 12. "This league runs the ball. It's funny, because 10 years ago this league threw the ball. Now this league runs the ball, they run it effectively."
"This league's running back rooms are loaded. It's by design and they're all bigger backs. They're backs that run through you that are harder to tackle."
And Dillingham arguably has the best one.
Entering Week 9 of the 2024 college football season, Sun Devils running back Cam Skattebo leads the Big 12 in yards from scrimmage with 1,131. UCF running back RJ Harvey is second with 1,085 and Kansas State running back DJ Giddens is third with 1,025.
Nationally, Skattebo is third in all-purpose yards behind Boise State's Ashton Jeanty (1,287) - the Heisman Trophy frontrunner - and Iowa's Kaleb Johnson (1,137).
Skattebo has three games with more than 150 yards rushing and one game with more than 100 yards receiving. He's carried the ball 150 times, scored 10 touchdowns and only lost one fumble.
Is there a better back in the Big 12? Not statistically.
It stands to reason Skattebo should be in the Heisman Trophy conversation. He's on pace to rush for more than 1,450 yards and finish with nearly 2,000 yards from scrimmage. Those kinds of numbers typically come with big honors.
Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon led the nation in yards from scrimmage last year with 2,062. He won the Doak Walker Award, was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting.
With a big finish to the 2024 season, it stands to reason Skattebo will be in line for similar accolades.
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Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. One of his favorite memories was covering the 1999 Fiesta Bowl - the first BCS National Championship Game - at Sun Devil Stadium.