Sooners roll to Big 12 title
ARLINGTON, Texas — University of Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield never fretted the potential negative consequences of having to play in the revived Big 12 championship game.
The No. 2 Sooners just went out and proved how deserving they are of the College Football Playoff berth coming their way by dominating TCU again, 41-17 on Saturday, in the second top-10 matchup in four weeks between the league’s top two teams.
“I’m really proud of our group for not listening to the entire narrative across the country that we shouldn’t be playing this championship game and all that mess,” said first-year coach Lincoln Riley, whose Sooners were No. 3 in the most recent playoff rankings. “We knew there was going to be a championship game, and that was just going to be part of our journey if we wanted to get to this place.”
Mayfield, the Heisman Trophy front-runner, threw four touchdown passes as Oklahoma (12-1) won its record 11th Big 12 title.
“The reason I came back was to play for a national title,” Mayfield said. “The most exciting thing about today is we control our destiny. … That’s all out in front of us.”
The Sooners are a lock to be in the playoff — the field will be announced today — for the second time in three seasons. They are the only Big 12 team to make the four-team format that started in 2014.
Mayfield was so confident in the Sooners winning their third straight Big 12 title, after the game he was wearing a shirt he had from back-to-back championships that had already been changed to show the three in a row he has won since transferring from Texas Tech.
“I had it updated before Bedlam,” Mayfield said, referring to the game against rival Oklahoma State a month ago.
The Sooners probably would have made the playoff even if the league hadn’t played a championship game for the first time since 2010. But a loss likely would have knocked them out of contention.
They jumped out to a quick 17-0 lead, including Caleb Kelly’s 18-yard fumble return for a touchdown after running back Kyle Hicks’ turnover on the first offensive play by TCU (10-3).
Kenny Hill threw two touchdown passes to get the Horned Frogs within 24-17 at halftime, but Oklahoma was in total control after scoring twice quickly after the break.
A week before the Heisman winner will be named, Mayfield finished 15-of-23 passing for 243 yards and took game MVP honors. His first two touchdowns were to tight end Mark Andrews. › Florida Atlantic 41, North Texas 17
BOCA RATON, Fla. — Lane Kiffin’s first season as Florida Atlantic’s head coach now includes the school’s first Conference USA football championship.
Devin Singletary had 26
carries for 164 yards and three touchdowns for the Owls, who extended their unbeaten streak to nine in a row by winning the league title game. Jason Driskel completed 15 of 27 passes for 269 yards and a touchdown, and Kalib Woods had a school-record 208 receiving yards.
Florida Atlantic (10-3) had 633 yards of offense, and Kiffin’s last play call of the day was one in which he ordered his brother — defensive coordinator Chris Kiffin — to have a water cooler dumped on him. The Owls then got the head coach with one, and the celebration was underway.
The Owls, who beat North Texas 69-31 in the regular season, took a 34-0 lead in the first 33 minutes in the title game. Florida Atlantic had gains of 47, 49, 22, 44, 21 and 34 yards in the first quarter alone, and the lead was never really threatened.
Mason Fine completed 28 of 44 passes for 367 yards for the Mean Green (9-4), whose winning streak was snapped at five games.
› Toledo 45,
Akron 28
DETROIT — Logan Woodside threw four touchdown passes and Terry Swanson rushed for 180 yards and two scores as Toledo won the Mid-American Conference championship game at Ford Field.
Receivers Diontae Johnson (118 yards) and Jon’Vea Johnson (103) combined for three touchdowns for Toledo, which won its third conference championship game and first since 2004.
Akron (7-6) forced five turnovers but couldn’t overcome a lopsided first half in its second loss to Toledo (11-2) this season.
Woodside threw three touchdown passes in the first half, two to Diontae Johnson, as the Rockets took a 28-0 lead. Swanson rushed for 61 yards and another score as Toledo outgained Akron 326-98 in the half.
Akron trailed 38-0 before Manny Morgan’s rushing touchdown with 30 seconds left in the third quarter. The Rockets finished with a 561-396 edge in yardage. › No. 1 Clemson 38,
No. 7 Miami 7 CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Clemson emphatically secured its spot in the College Football Playoff with a victory over No. 7 Miami in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.
The Tigers (12-1) came in on top of the playoff rankings and should remain that way when the four-team field is announced today after leaving little doubt last season’s national champs are looking to win back to back CFP titles.
Kelly Bryant set a championship game record by completing his first 15 passes — he surpassed his friend and former teammate, Deshaun Watson (13) — and finished with 252 passing yards and a 27-yard touchdown pass to Deon Cain to help the Tigers win their third straight ACC crown.
Clemson’s Travis Etienne opened the scoring with a 4-yard touchdown before Bryant’s twisting, 11-yard run for a 14-0 first-quarter lead. It was essentially over after that for the Hurricanes (10-2), who have lost two straight after rising to No. 2 in the CFP rankings two weeks ago.
Miami fell apart in the third quarter, with a pair of Malik Rosier interceptions leading to 10 points for the Tigers.