Bama ousted from playoffs; No. 1 Ohio State dominates
AUBURN, Ala. — Shaun Shivers scored on an 11yard run with 8:08 left to give Auburn a 48-45 victory, and another failed field goal by Alabama in the Iron Bowl in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday dashed the No. 5 Crimson Tide’s playoff hopes.
Auburn (9-3, 5-3 Southeastern Conference) survived a final, marathon Crimson Tide drive when Joseph Bulovas’ 30-yard field goal attempt hit the left upright with 2 minutes left.
Auburn couldn’t get a first down on JaTarvious Whitlow’s three runs while Alabama (10-2, 6-2) burned its final two timeouts. But the Tide was called for illegal substitution after the Tigers lined up for a punt, setting off a fistpumping celebration for coach Gus Malzahn.
Auburn fans stormed the field to celebrate another Iron Bowl thriller, filling it from end zone to end zone as they did in the 2013 Kick-Six game, when the Tigers’ returned a missed Tide field goal for a game-winning touchdown.
OHIO STATE 56, MICHIGAN 27
J.K. Dobbins ran for four touchdowns, Justin Fields threw four scoring passes and No. 1 Ohio State beat No. 13 Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich., for a schoolrecord eighth straight win in the series.
The Buckeyes (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten) will head to the Big Ten championship game with a spot in the College Football Playoff in sight against No. 12 Wisconsin next Saturday.
The Wolverines (9-3,
6-3) will have to settle for a second- or third-tier bowl game after coach Jim Harbaugh fell to 0-5 in the rivalry, and the Wolverines lost to Ohio State for the 15th time in 16 years.
Dobbins rushed for 211 yards on 31 carries. Fields was 14 of 25 for 302 yards.
Michigan’s Shea Patterson was 18 of 41 for 305 yards and a touchdown. But he also threw an interception and lost a fumble.
CLEMSON 38, SOUTH CAROLINA 3
Trevor Lawrence threw for 295 yards and three touchdowns to lead No. 3 Clemson to its 27th straight victory and second consecutive 12-0 regular season in Columbia, S.C.
Travis Etienne ran for two touchdowns to break Atlantic Coast Conference
marks for career touchdowns (57) and rushing scores (53) as the Tigers dominated on the way to a sixth straight win over South Carolina (4-8).
Clemson will try to win its fifth ACC championship against Virginia on Saturday.
GEORGIA 52, GEORGIA TECH 7
Jake Fromm threw four touchdown passes, and No. 4 Georgia cruised into the Southeastern Conference championship game against No. 2 LSU next Saturday with its biggest win ever over its state rival in Atlanta.
The Bulldogs (11-1) were 28-point favorites over the Yellow Jackets (3-9) and this one was never in doubt, even as Georgia struggled a bit offensively, fumbled the ball away
three times, dealt with injury woes, and failed to cover an onside kick.
UTAH 45, COLORADO 15
Brant Kuithe scored three touchdowns, and
No. 6 Utah clinched a spot in the Pac-12 championship game for the straight season with a victory over Colorado.
The Utes (11-1, 8-1), who will face No. 14 Oregon on Friday, needed a quarter to get rolling, but romped to their eighth straight victory. Tyler Huntley was 14 for 17 for 165 yards and connected with Kuithe twice for touchdown receptions.
FLORIDA 40, FLORIDA STATE 17
Kyle Trask threw three first-half touchdown passes, including two to Freddie Swain, and No. 11 Florida
hammered rival Florida State in Gainesville, Fla., to end a four-game, home losing streak in the series.
The Gators (10-2) locked up consecutive 10-win seasons for the first time in a decade, finished unbeaten at home for the first time in four years and celebrated their first winning streak against the Seminoles since 2009.
WISCONSIN 38, MINNESOTA 17
Jack Coan delivered two momentum-shifting touchdown passes in the snow for No. 12 Wisconsin, Jonathan Taylor added three touchdowns to his FBSleading total and the Badgers (10-2, 7-2) forcefully repossessed Paul Bunyan’s Axe to win the Big Ten West Division.
Coan connected with Taylor for a 28-yard touchdown strike late in the second quarter that gave the Badgers the lead after a slow start, sending them to the Big Ten championship game for a rematch with Ohio State.
Tanner Morgan passed for 296 yards and two touchdowns for the Gophers (10-2, 7-2).
PENN STATE 27, RUTGERS 6
Journey Brown ran for 103 yards with three touchdowns, and No. 10 Penn State pulled away from Rutgers in State College, Pa.
Will Levis played quarterback for the Nittany Lions (10-2, 7-2 Big Ten) in place of injured started Sean Clifford and added 108 rushing yards on 17 carries and a 42-yard touchdown pass to Jahan Dotson in the fourth quarter.
OREGON 24, OREGON STATE 10
Justin Herbert threw for 174 yards and a touchdown in his final game at Autzen Stadium, and No. 14 Oregon (10-2, 8-1 Pac-12) held off Oregon State in the 123rd Civil War rivalry game.
Oregon State (5-7, 4-5) was denied a bid for bowl eligibility in coach Jonathan Smith’s second year. The Beavers haven’t made a postseason appearance since 2013.
NOTRE DAME 45, STANFORD 24
Ian Book threw for 255 yards and four touchdowns in Stanford, Calif., and No. 16 Notre Dame (10-2) reached double-digit wins for the third straight season.