Sam Leavitt refuses to back down and sends a clear message to Quinn Ewers & Arch Manning ahead of the Peach Bowl

Arizona State's Sam Leavitt has caused a stir ahead of the Peach Bowl against Texas after declaring he's a better quarterback than anyone the Longhorns have. In Tuesday's news conference ahead of the New Year's Day game, the Sun Devils signal-caller was pressed to justify his comment.

"I really didn't have any expectations going into the comment, you know," Leavitt said. "Just answering the comment to my fullest belief, and I hope every player on the field feels they're the best. That's how it should be. You put all this work and get to this stage so, why would you not believe in yourself?"

Leavitt also said that he didn't realize that his comment was making the rounds on the internet for some time as he didn't have notifications set up on his phone.

What did Sam Leavitt say about the Texas QB room?

When asked about Quinn Ewers initially, Sam Leavitt gave a response that caught everyone off guard:

“I’ve watched him for a fair amount of time now. I’m just excited for the opportunity. People keep counting me out since Day 1, and I’m going to go prove why I’m the better quarterback.”

Surprisingly, when asked on Monday about Leavitt's comment, Ewers took the high road and praised him:

"Yeah, I mean, I saw it. And just congrats to them on a great year and great season. I’ve got to watch some of their games, and he’s a talented player, and they’re a fun offense to watch. And just excited to be up against them.”

Sam Leavitt and the 10th-ranked Sun Devils (11-2, No. 4 seed in CFP)) do have a tall order ahead of them, as the Big 12's champions are 13-point underdogs for the Peach Bowl against fourth-ranked Texas (12-2, No. 5 seed) on Wednesday. A victory by Arizona State would be the biggest surprise of the CFP so far. The game will air at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN.