From Tempe to Atlanta: Road trip tips for getting to Arizona State University's College Football Playoff game at the Peach Bowl

While Arizona State University football fans were hoping the team would get sent to Fiesta Bowl in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff, there was no such luck and instead the Sun Devils will travel to Atlanta, Ga., and face the University of Texas in the Peach Bowl on New Year's Day.

So, we created a road trip guide with tips to make the drive easier and a few places that might be worth stopping for as you make the 1,800-plus mile trek to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

After packing your Sun Devil gear and checking your vehicle, including tire pressure, belts and fluid levels and making sure you've got an emergency kit with the essentials, it's time to hit the road.

Excluding pit stops, this road trip will take two highways: Interstate 10 and Interstate 20. From ASU's main campus in Tempe, travel east on I-10 to west Texas, then take I-20 eastbound through Dallas-Fort Worth, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and straight into Atlanta.

Here are some notable stops along the route:

Tucson: Listen, winning the Territorial Cup is a big deal, but it's too early in this road trip for shenanigans. Cruise through Tucson, while noticing the improvements on the I-10 Ina to Ruthrauff widening project.

Deming, N.M.: A bit before arriving in Deming, you'll cross over a continental divide. A sign marks the location. Maybe you've got a geography or geology professor that would give you extra credit for stopping and taking a photo at a location with geographical significance? The photo should be safely snapped from the frontage road and not from the mainline of the interstate.

Odessa, Texas: Odessa is the town featured in the book "Friday Night Lights," which was turned into a movie, which was turned into a television show that featured the Dillon Panthers and then East Dillon Lions. From here, continue east, ASU fans: "Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose."

Irving, Texas: After going through Odessa, you are ready for football! After about 350 miles, you reach Irving, Texas, home of the Big 12 Conference headquarters. You know, the conference that ASU just dominated in its first season as a member. Stop for photos and pleasantries and then it's back to the highway and 800 more miles to Atlanta.

Tuscaloosa, Ala.: 600 more miles of podcasts (On The Road with ADOT is our favorite) and music and you reach the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. A football powerhouse, Alabama is hard at work, getting ready for the ReliaQuest Bowl. Hey, there's always next year.

Did you know Alabama and ASU have never played one another? That's unlikely to change. Current Alabama athletic director and former Arizona athletic director Greg Bryne went 3-4 against ASU when he was in Tucson. ASU is one of two Pac-12 teams that handed losses to current Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer when he was Washington's coach in 2021 and 2022. They don't want this smoke.

Birmingham, Ala.: A one- hour drive from Tuscaloosa and we're in Birmingham, where the Southeastern Conference (SEC) has its headquarters and we're told over and over that "it just means more." After chatting with some locals and hearing why the entire conference should have made the College Football Playoff, it's off to Atlanta.

Atlanta, Ga.: Finally, we arrive at Mercedes-Benz Stadium where the fourth-seeded Arizona State Sun Devils will play the Texas Longhorns in the Peach Bowl. This will be ASU's second appearance in the Peach Bowl. The Sun Devils beat North Carolina, 48-26, on Dec. 30, 1970.

This Peach Bowl, to steal a phrase, just means more.

Forks Up and safe travels!

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