Oklahoma State ends Sooners’ Big 12 title reign at six years
Spencer Sanders threw for a touchdown and ran for another in Stillwater as No. 7 Oklahoma State kept alive its College Football Playoff chances and stopped No. 10 Oklahoma’s streak of Big 12 titles at six, defeating the Sooners 37-34 Saturday night in Stillwater.
Oklahoma State (11-1, 8-1) snapped a six-game losing streak to Oklahoma. The Cowboys will play Baylor next Saturday for the Big 12 championship.
The loss was the first dose of weekend bad news for Sooners fans. Reports surfaced Sunday that coach Lincoln Riley would leave for the Southern California job.
Oklahoma (10-2, 7-2) got the ball one last time at its 20 with 54 seconds remaining and no timeouts. Caleb Williams ran 56 yards, but OSU’s Collin Oliver sacked Williams on fourth down at the Cowboys’ 32 with eight seconds remaining, setting off a wild celebration.
OSU coach Mike Gundy won for just the third time in 17 tries against Oklahoma. The Cowboys seek their first Big 12 title since 2011.
No. 6 Notre Dame 45, Stanford 14: Jack Coan threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score as visiting Notre Dame (11-1) kept its playoff hopes alive. Stanford (3-9) lost its seventh game in a row.
The Fighting Irish won their final seven games following a home loss to Cincinnati but will likely need help next week to get into the College Football Playoff for the third time in the past four seasons.
No. 11 Oregon 38, Oregon State 29: Anthony Brown Jr. threw for 275 yards and two touchdowns while running for another score in Eugene, and the host Ducks won the Pac-12 North Division to claim a spot in the league’s championship game.
The Ducks (10-2, 7-2) will face No. 16 Utah for the conference championship in Las Vegas on Friday. Oregon was coming off a 38-7 loss to the Utes.
No. 12 Michigan State 30, Penn State 27: Payton Thorne threw two touchdown passes and ran for another to lead the Spartans in East Lansing, Michigan.
Kenneth Walker III rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries as the Spartans (10-2, 7-2 Big Ten) finished undefeated at home for the first time since 2015. Sean Clifford threw three touchdown passes, two to Jahan Dotson, for the Nittany Lions (7-5, 4-5).
Minnesota 23, No. 14 Wisconsin 13: Gophers quarterback Tanner Morgan overcame an interception that was returned for a first-half touchdown, leading three scoring drives after halftime in a home victory that regained Paul Bunyan’s Axe and gave Iowa the Big Ten West Division title.
LSU 27, No. 15 Texas A&M 24: Max Johnson hit Jaray Jenkins with a 28-yard scoring pass down the right sideline with 20 seconds left, and LSU gave coach Ed Orgeron a triumphant send-off in his final game in
Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge. LSU had lost a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter and looked to be on the brink of its first losing season since 1999.
ACC
No. 20 Pittsburgh 31, Syracuse 14:
Kenny Pickett threw for four touchdowns to break the Pitt record for scoring passes in a season. Pickett connected with tailback Rodney Hammond Jr., a freshman from Booker T. Washington High, for one of them.
Pitt (10-2, 6-1) won its fourth straight for its first 10-win season since 1981. Pickett boosted his season total to 40 touchdown passes and his career total to 79, equaling Dan Marino’s mark.
Syracuse (5-7, 2-6) had its fifth losing season in coach Dino Babers’ six years.
No. 23 Clemson 30, South Carolina 0: Will Shipley ran for 128 yards and a touchdown, and Clemson’s defense smothered South Carolina for its seventh straight win in the Palmetto State rivalry. The Tigers (9-3) won their fifth straight this season and matched the longest win streak in the series that they set from 1934-40.
Kentucky 52, Louisville 21: Will Levis rushed for career highs of four touchdowns and 113 yards, and Kentucky (9-3) scored on its first four possessions to win the Governor’s Cup for the third consecutive time. Malik Cunningham of Louisville (6-6) rushed for a 2-yard TD to tie the game at 7 and completed 12 of 20 passes for 145 yards before being taken to the dressing room with 10 minutes left.