Alabama topples No. 1 Georgia
Dawgs still candidate for CFP
Bryce Young stunningly carved up the nation’s toprated defense, giving Nick Saban and Alabama a shot at another national championship.
Young threw for three touchdowns and ran for another as the fourth-ranked Crimson Tide rolled over No. 1 Georgia 41-24 in the Southeastern Conference championship game Saturday, a result that likely sends both powerhouse programs to the four-team College Football Playoff.
Young set SEC championship records with 421 yards passing and 461 yards total offense.
Georgia (12-1, No. 1 CFP) cruised through the regular season, barely challenged and a unanimous choice as the nation’s No. 1 team for the past two months. The Bulldogs boasted a fearsome defensive unit that had allowed only 6.9 points a game.
The playoff field will be announced Sunday, with the semifinals set for the Orange and Cotton bowls on Dec. 31.
Alabama (12-1, No. 3 CFP) had six offensive scoring drives — five covering at least 75 yards, the other 62 — and finished with a staggering 536 yards against a team that was giving up just under 231 per game.
Big 12
No. 9 Baylor 21, No. 5 Oklahoma St. 16 — Dezmon Jackson came up inches short on a desperate, fourth-down dive with 24 seconds remaining and fifth-ranked Oklahoma State fell to ninth-rated Baylor in the Big 12 championship game Saturday, knocking the Cowboys out of contention for a playoff spot.
Blake Shapen threw three TDs while completing his first 17 passes as Baylor (11-2, College Football Playoff No. 9) took a 21-3 lead.
The Cowboys (11-2, CFP No. 5) rallied back, then went 89 yards on 17 plays on their final drive. But their Big 12 and national championship hopes wound up just shy.
After having first-and-goal from 2 following a pass interference penalty, Jackson gained a yard and was held for no gain before an incomplete pass by Spencer Sanders.
On fourth down from the 1, Jackson tried to sweep wide left, but with safety Jairon McVea in pursuit, he barely missed while trying to reach the pylon in the front corner of the end zone.
AAC
No. 3 Cincinnati 35, No. 16 Houston 20 — Jerome Ford rushed for 187 yards and two touchdowns and Desmond Ridder threw three touchdown passes as No. 3 Cincinnati broke open a close game in the third quarter and rolled to the American Athletic Conference championship.
The Bearcats who are ranked No. 4 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, are in position to become the first non-Power 5 team to qualify. The final rankings will be announced Sunday.
Cincinnati (12-0) which extended the nation’s second-longest home winning streak to 27, scored three touchdowns in fewer than eight minutes to finish off its second straight AAC crown.
Houston (11-2) lost for the first time since dropping its season-opener to Texas Tech on Sept. 4.
MAC
Northern Illinois 41, Kent St.
23 — Quarterback Rocky Lombardi ran for three touchdowns and Jay Ducker ran for 146 yards on 29 carries to power Northern Illinois to the Mid-American Conference title. It is the Huskies’ (9-4) sixth MAC title in the last 11 years and first since 2018 when it beat Buffalo. Kent State (7-6) was shooting for its first conference championship since winning it in 1972.
MWC
Utah St. 46, No. 19 San Diego St. 13 — Brandon Bowling caught two touchdown passes from Logan Bonner during the decisive third quarter, and Utah State won its first Mountain West Conference title. The Aggies (10-3) punctuated their inspiring turnaround under first-year coach Blake Anderson by blowing out the short-handed Aztecs (11-2) for their first win over an AP Top 25 opponent since 2015.
Sun Belt
No. 20 La.-Lafayette 24, Appalachian St. 16 — Levi Lewis scored on a careerhigh 56-yard run and passed for another touchdown, and No. 20 Louisiana-Lafayette capped off soon-to-be Florida coach Billy Napier’s time with the Ragin’ Cajuns by defeating Appalachian State 24-16 on Saturday in the Sun Belt Conference championship game.
Lewis passed for 210 yards without a turnover and finished with 43 net yards rushing as Louisiana-Lafayette (12-1, 9-0 Sun Belt) lengthened its school-record winning streak to 12 games.
Cameron Peoples ran for a 43-yard touchdown in the first half for Appalachian State (10-3, 7-2).
FCS
East Tennessee St. 32, Kennesaw St. 31 — Tyler Riddell found Nate Adkins on a crossing route in the back of the end zone for a 2-point conversion with 35 seconds to play to give seventh-seeded East Tennessee State a shocking 32-31 win over Kennesaw State (11-2) on Saturday in the second round of the FCS playoffs.
The Buccaneers (11-1) face second-seeded North Dakota State in the quarterfinals.
James Madison 59, Southeastern Louisiana 20 — Cole Johnson passed for five touchdowns, ran for a sixth and James Madison scored 17 points after three takeaways in the last three minutes of the first half in the second round of the FCS playoffs on Saturday.
The third-seeded Dukes (11-1) take on No. 5-ranked and sixth-seeded Montana in the quarterfinals.
North Dakota St. 38, Southern Illinois 7 — Quarterback Cam Miller ran for two scores, TaMerik Williams tallied 112 yards rushing and two scoring runs and second-seeded North Dakota State (11-1) was never threatened in a win over Southern Illinois (8-5) in the second round of the FCS playoffs.
Montana St. 26, UT Martin 7 — Freshman quarterback Tommy Mellott ran for 183 yards, Isaiah Infanse added 176 yards, and Montana State dominated UT-Martin.
Montana State outgained UT Martin 438 yards to 178 yards and kept the Skyhawks offense out of the end zone. The Skyhawks’ only score was a 68-yard fumble return by Jay Woods.
Sam Houston 49, Incarnate Word 42 — Ramon Jefferson rushed for 166 yards and two touchdowns, Eric Schmid accounted for the game-winning score and defending national champion Sam Houston fended off Incarnate Word with a last-gasp goal-line tackle.
Incarnate Word (10-3), playing its first football game in December, gave the defending national champions all they could handle, with quarterback Cameron Ward throwing for 481 yards and five touchdowns — two in the fourth quarter. Ward led the Cardinals 71 yards on their final possession, charging toward the goal line on a fourth-and-goal from the 4-yard line and landing just short when he was tackled and ruled down at the 1 before he was able to stretch the ball past the line.