No. 8 Alabama knocks off No. 1 Georgia
Tide is again the top dog in the SEC
ATLANTA — After handing Georgia its first loss in nearly two years, Alabama mixed a raucous celebration of its latest Southeastern Conference championship with a whole lot of lobbying for a College Football Playoff spot that no one could’ve envisioned in September.
Jalen Milroe, the quarterback who epitomizes the Crimson Tide’s remarkable turnaround from an early-season loss to Texas, posed a pointed question to the committee that will decide who’s in — and who’s out.
“Georgia is number one, right?” said Milroe, who was picked as MVP of a 27-24 victory Saturday that snapped the top-ranked Bulldogs’ 29-game winning streak. “We just beat the number one team. What do you consider us?”
Alabama would have to make a big leap from No. 8 in both the AP poll and the most recent CFP rankings — and perhaps leapfrog the No. 7 Texas team that beat it 34-24 in Tuscaloosa on Sept. 9 — to claim a spot in the four-team playoff that will be announced Sunday.
Another big question: Is Georgia’s bid for a third straight national title over?
Coach Kirby Smart bristled at the notion that his team — with two straight national titles on its resume — squandered a shot at becoming the first team in the AP poll era to win three championships in a row.
“It’s the best four teams,” Smart said. “So if you go tell me somebody sitting in that committee room doesn’t think that Georgia team is one of the best four teams, I don’t know if they’re in the right profession because we’re a really good football team.”
After his Iron Bowl heroics a week earlier, Milroe threw a pair of touchdown passes and Alabama’s defense dominated much of the way after giving up a score on Georgia’s opening possession. It was the 30th SEC crown for the Tide — more than twice as many as any other school.
“A lot of people doubted this team,” said Milroe, who was benched early in the season but bounced back to become one of college football’s most dynamic players. “I never gave up on this team. That’s the biggest thing.”
Alabama (12-1) sorted out its quarterback situation and hasn’t lost since. The victory over Georgia was the Tide’s 11th in a row and may be good enough to give them a big boost in the selection committee’s eyes.
“This is a team,” said Alabama coach Nick Saban, who may get a chance to add to his record seven national titles. “I’ve never been
prouder of a group of guys.”
Georgia (12-1) will have to hope its dominance over the last two seasons persuades the committee to provide a shot at a do-over in the playoff. That’s just what happened two years ago, when Alabama romped to a 41-24 victory over the top-ranked Bulldogs in the SEC title game and both teams were invited to play on.
Georgia avenged its SEC defeat with a 33-18 victory over Alabama in the national championship game, and the Bulldogs made it two titles in a row with a 15-0 season in 2022. Their hopes of a three-peat are now in the hands of others.
“There’s two classes of our kids that haven’t lost a game,” Smart said. “In life, sometimes you can’t get better until you lose.”
Georgia closed the gap to 20-17 after a 28-yard punt return by little-used Anthony Evans III set up Carson Beck’s sneak into the end zone for Georgia’s first touchdown since the opening minutes.
But, with a drive for the ages, Milroe hooked up with Isaiah Bond on four completions for 56 yards — rekindling memories of a week earlier when the two connected on a fourth-and-31 touchdown pass that miraculously pulled out an Iron Bowl victory over Auburn.
Roydell Williams scored on a 1-yard run that restored Alabama’s lead to 27-17 with 5:47 remaining.
Georgia didn’t go quietly. The Bulldogs hustled down the field for another TD, scoring on Kendall Milton’s second touchdown of the game, a fourth-and-goal run from the 1 with 2:52 left to again climb within a field goal.
But Milroe broke off a 30-yard run — wisely going down inbounds to keep the clock running — and Alabama ran out the
clock.
“Georgia’s got a really good team,” Saban said. “But our guys overcame. They proved today they can win against anybody.”
After missing on his first four passes, Milroe found his range. He completed six of eight for 110 yards, including touchdown passes of 28 yards to running back Jam Miller on a busted coverage and a 15-yarder to former Georgia receiver Jermaine Burton with 48 seconds left in the half to give the Tide a 17-7 lead at the break.
It was only the fifth time Georgia had trailed at the half since the start of its winning streak.
This time, the Bulldogs couldn’t come back.
NO. 2 MICHIGAN 26, NO. 18 IOWA:
In Indianapolis, Blake Corum scored twice, tying the school record for touchdown runs with 55, and No. 2 Michigan beat No. 18 Iowa in the Big Ten championship game to likely take the top seed in the College Football Playoff.
With coach Jim Harbaugh back on the sideline for the first time in four weeks, the Wolverines (13-0, No. 2 CFP) routed Iowa (10-3, No. 16 CFP) to win three straight outright conference crowns for the first time in school history.
And with No. 1 Georgia falling to No. 8 Alabama in the Southeastern Conference title game, Harbaugh and the Wolverines are poised — finally — to claim the top playoff seed and reach No. 1. Harbaugh became the first coach in conference history to win three straight outright titles and he celebrated by running evasively to avoid getting doused in a Gatorade bath.
Michigan also extended its school record of consecutive wins over Big Ten foes to 25. Corum tied Anthony Thomas’ school career rushing TD mark. Corum, the league’s running back of the year, finished with 16 carries for 52 yards. J.J. McCarthy, who was selected the conference’s best quarterback this week, was 22 of 30 for 147 yards.
NO. 4 FLORIDA STATE, NO. 15 LOUISVILLE:
In Charlotte, N.C., Florida State made things as difficult as possible on the College Football Playoff selection committee, using a dominant defensive performance to beat No. 15 Louisville 16-6 for the Seminoles’ first Atlantic Coast Conference championship since 2014.
The Seminoles moved to 13-0, but even that doesn’t guarantee a spot in the four-team playoff. No Power Five team has ever gone unbeaten, won its conference title and failed to make the playoff.
Lawrance Toafili ran for 118 yards and a touchdown for the Seminoles, who stuck to a conservative game plan with thirdstring quarterback Brock Glenn behind center. Glenn finished 8 of 21 for 55 yards.
Starting QB and Heisman Trophy candidate Jordan Travis is out for the season with a leg injury. Tate Rodemaker, Travis’ backup, was sidelined with a concussion.
The difference for the Seminoles was their defense, which had a season-high seven sacks and a critical interception that kept Louisville out of the end zone.
NO. 7 TEXAS 49, NO. 19 OKLAHOMA STATE 21:
In Arlington, Texas, Quinn Ewers set a career high by throwing for 452 yards with four touchdowns, one of those to 362-pound defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat, and Texas bid farewell to the Big 12 by beating Oklahoma State in the conference championship game.
The Southeastern Conference-bound Longhorns (12-1, No. 7 CFP) will leave the Big 12 with four titles. They also won it in the league’s inaugural 1996 season, in 2005 when they were last national champs and in 2009.
Keilan Robinson tiptoed the sideline on a 57-yard run for the first of his two touchdowns in the second half as the Longhorns, the only team to beat Alabama this season, stayed in contention for the College Football Playoff.
Alan Bowman was 22-of-38 passing for 250 yards for the Cowboys (9-4, No. 18 CFP), with two of his three touchdowns going to Rashod Owens.
NO. 25 SMU 26, NO. 17 TULANE 14:
In New Orleans, Kevin Jennings threw a TD pass and accounted for 266 yards from scrimmage in his first career start, Collin Rogers kicked four second-half field goals, and SMU beat Tulane in the American Athletic Conference championship game.
The Mustangs (11-2) limited Tulane (11-2, No. 22 CFP) to a touchdown during the final 59 minutes to snap the Green Wave’s 10-game winning streak and dethrone the defending league champs.
SMU sacked Michael Pratt seven times. Defensive back Isaiah Nwokobia’s interception in the fourth quarter all but sealed it.
The game was played amid reports that Tulane coach Willie Frtiz is Houston’s top candidate following the Cougars’ firing of Dana Holgorsen. Fritz declined to confirm his intentions after the game.
Tulane’s loss means Conference USA champion Liberty or SMU — which ever team winds up higher in the final College Football Playoff rankings — will play in a New Year’s Six bowl.
SMU’s league title was its first since winning the Southwest Conference in 1984. The Mustangs move to the Atlantic Coast Conference next season.
BOISE STATE 44, UNLV 20: In Las Vegas, Taylen Green threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more, and Boise State improved to 3-0 under interim head coach Spencer Danielson, beating UNLV on Saturday to capture their fifth Mountain West championship.
The Broncos (8-5) are expected to head to the LA Bowl, which has the first choice from the Mountain West.
UNLV (9-4), which was appearing in its first Mountain West title game, will get an invitation from one of the other league-affiliated bowls. It will be the Rebels’ first bowl trip in a decade.
As for Boise State, its players lobbied for Danielson to get the job on a full-time basis, and they made their best statement on the field.
Green was named offensive player of the game after completing 12 of 15 passes for 226 yards with the two TDs and an interception and rushing for 90 yards and two scores. Ashton Jeanty rushed for 153 yards and a TD.
TROY 49, APP STATE 23: In Troy, Alabama, Kimani Vidal rushed for 233 yards and five touchdowns and Troy scored twice in a six-second span of a monster fourth quarter in a victory over Appalachian State for the Trojans’ second straight Sun Belt Conference title.
Troy (11-2) produced a lopsided win in the league championship game after a 1-2 start for the second season in a row. This one was up for grabs until Vidal’s 2-yard touchdown followed swiftly by Don Callis’s strip-sack and touchdown that made it 35-17 lead with 10:51 left in a rain-soaked game.
MIAMI (OH) 23, NO. 23 TOLEDO 14:
In Detroit, Rashad Amos ran for two touchdowns, Graham Nicholson kicked three field goals and Miami (Ohio) beat No. 23 Toledo in the Mid-American Conference championship game Saturday.
The RedHawks (11-2) last won the MAC title in 2019 when they beat Central Michigan. It’s the first time since 2003 that Miami has won 11 games in a season.