On Tuesday — one day before Arizona State (11-2) faces Texas (12-2) in the Peach Bowl — Dillingham was asked again about why his players have so much confidence in themselves.

Here are five things that Steve Sarkisian and Kenny Dilingham talked about during their joint Peach Bowl press conference on Tuesday:

Texas' Steve Sarkisian and Arizona State's Kenny Dillingham ready for Peach Bowl matchup in huge CFP game for Sun Devils.

ATLANTA — The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl trophy sitting between Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham and Texas coach Steve Sarkisian in a ballroom on the ninth floor of the Westin Peachtree Plaza was like a Kozyrev mirror, a looking glass that lets viewers get a glimpse of their past and future selves.

The Sun Devils are getting set to play in the Jan. 1 College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Peach Bowl in Georgia. Getting to this moment marks one of college football's biggest-ever rags-to-riches stories.

Whether baptized by a vat of celebratory Gatorade or simply worn out by being planted for three-plus hours under the Arizona sun, Dillingham often appears drenched and out of breath, as if he has gone through an entire game himself or run through a mental marathon.