Arizona State DT Itching For A Chance To Play Against Former Team In CFP

Arizona State defensive lineman Zac Swanson really hopes the Sun Devils will face Texas in the Peach Bowl on New Year's Day. And yes, it's personal.

Swanson previously suited up for the Longhorns before transferring to ASU ahead of this season. A four-star prospect, he spent two years in Austin before being told to leave.

"That’s a team that kicked me out and said I was never going to be good enough to play there," he said in an interview this week. "[Playing against Texas] is something that’s been on my agenda for some time. It’s like a dream scenario."

The 6-4, 290-pound lineman appeared in just three games with the Longhorns. Swanson claims the coaching staff told him that the only way he would stay at Texas was to "quit football and just go to school."

"It was probably the worst thing that was ever said to me, and it was just so carelessly, like they didn’t care that it was changing my life," Swanson said. "Two years there, I made friends. I had a girlfriend. Then they tell me that and expect me to get up and leave the next day."

MORE INFO: CFP Playoff Bracket: Schedule, Matchups & TV Networks

The Sun Devils went 11-2 this year and won the Big 12 Championship game. Swanson, who is originally from Phoenix, recorded 16 tackles, two tackles for loss, half a sack and a quarterback hurry this season for ASU.

"Now, being here, and experiencing everything I’ve experienced here, at home, it’s the best thing that could’ve ever happened to me," Swanson said.

Arizona State earned a first-round bye in the 12-team College Football Playoff. So they'll await the winner of the Clemson-Texas game on Saturday.

And we already know who Zac Swanson is rooting for.