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No. 10 Alabama 27, Auburn 20
Isaiah Horton caught three touchdown passes from Ty Simpson to help No. 10 Alabama survive blowing a 17-point lead and escape with a 27-20 win over rival Auburn in the Iron Bowl on Saturday night.
The Crimson Tide (10-2, 7-1 SEC) not only clinched a spot in the SEC championship game vs. Georgia next Saturday with the dramatic victory, but they also likely locked up a spot in the College Football Playoff. After the Tigers tied the game with 11:43 left, Alabama answered with a 15-play, 75-yard drive that chewed nearly eight minutes. It ended with a fourth-and-2 conversion when Simpson found Horton again for the game-winning 6-yard score. Auburn’s ensuing drive reached the Alabama 20 before Cam Coleman fumbled and Deontae Lawson recovered, sealing it in a finish that swung both emotion and the college football odds and scores screens.
Horton had just five catches for 35 yards, but three of them went for touchdowns. Simpson posted a season-low 122 passing yards, going 19 of 35. Jam Miller had 83 rushing yards on 15 carries before exiting with a leg injury. Ashton Daniels was 18 of 39 for 259 yards, a touchdown and an interception for Auburn (5-7, 1-7), which finished one win short of bowl eligibility. He also ran for 108 of the Tigers’ 152 rushing yards, while Malcolm Simmons had three catches for 143 yards.
No. 1 Ohio State 27, No. 15 Michigan 9
Wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate returned from injuries and each caught a touchdown as Bo Jackson ran for more than 100 yards to help visiting Ohio State end a four-game losing streak to Michigan.
Ohio State (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten) advances to face No. 2 Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis on Dec. 6. Julian Sayin threw first-half touchdown passes to Smith and Brandon Inniss as the Buckeyes rallied from an early deficit to take a 17-9 lead. Tate made it 24-9 midway through the third when Sayin hit him for a 50-yard strike. Sayin finished 19 of 26 for 233 yards, three touchdowns and an interception as Ohio State beat Michigan for the first time since 2019.
Jackson, a freshman, ran for 117 yards and added 49 receiving yards. Freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood went 8 of 18 for 63 yards and a late interception for the Wolverines. Kicker Dominic Zvada kept Michigan afloat for a while, going 3-for-3 on field goals, including a 49-yarder in snow showers.
No. 5 Texas Tech 49, West Virginia 0
Behren Morton threw all three of his touchdown passes in the first half as Texas Tech used a blistering start to secure its first-ever spot in the Big 12 championship game with a blowout win at West Virginia.
Terrance Carter Jr. caught 10 passes for 98 yards, while Caleb Douglas racked up 127 yards and two first-half touchdown grabs as the Red Raiders (11-1, 8-1 Big 12) won their fifth straight. Morton completed 25 of 32 passes for 310 yards, and Cameron Dickey rushed for 79 yards and added a receiving score. It was the kind of complete, four-quarter effort that shows up again and again in successful college football betting tips.
Scotty Fox Jr. completed 13 of 23 passes for 98 yards and one interception as the Mountaineers (4-8, 2-7) dropped their final two games to close the year. It was West Virginia’s first season with fewer than five wins since 2013.
No. 6 Oregon 26, Washington 14
Atticus Sappington drilled all four of his field goals, including a career-long 51-yarder late in the third quarter, as Oregon leaned on its defense and kicking game to win in Seattle.
Dante Moore went 20 of 29 for 286 yards and a touchdown and also ran for a score for the Ducks (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten), who ended the regular season on a six-game winning streak. Malik Benson led Oregon receivers with five catches for 102 yards and a touchdown.
Washington (8-4, 5-4) struggled to protect Demond Williams Jr., who threw two interceptions and was sacked four times while under pressure most of the afternoon. He did toss two touchdown passes to Denzel Boston, but the Huskies couldn’t string together enough sustained drives to threaten late.
No. 8 Oklahoma 17, LSU 13
John Mateer threw for 318 yards and two touchdowns, overcoming three interceptions to help Oklahoma grind out a home win over LSU in Norman.
Mateer hit Isaiah Sategna III for a 58-yard touchdown with 4:16 left, and the Sooners (10-2, 6-2 SEC) held on in the final minutes. After Sategna’s score, a 47-yard kick return by Barion Brown got LSU to midfield, but the Tigers stalled and never reached the end zone. The win likely sends Oklahoma back to the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2019.
LSU (7-5, 3-5) finished with just 113 passing yards and 85 rushing yards, its lowest offensive output since November 3, 2018, when the Tigers produced only 196 total yards against then-No. 2 Alabama.
No. 9 Notre Dame 49, Stanford 20
CJ Carr completed 17 of 27 passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns as Notre Dame rolled past host Stanford.
Jadarian Price logged both a rushing and receiving touchdown for the Irish (10-2), who closed the regular season on a 10-game winning streak. Aneyas Williams ran for 83 yards and two scores, while Jeremiyah Love contributed 66 rushing yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.
Elijah Brown went 18 of 37 for 204 yards, one touchdown and one interception for Stanford (4-8), which dropped four of its last five. Charlie Mirer, son of former Notre Dame quarterback Rick Mirer, entered in relief and threw a touchdown pass.
No. 11 BYU 41, UCF 21
BYU rallied from an early 14-0 hole to beat UCF in Provo, Utah, and lock up a Big 12 title game berth.
Running back LJ Martin powered the Cougars with three rushing touchdowns. Quarterback Bear Bachmeier threw for 289 yards on an efficient 84 percent completion rate, and wideout Parker Kingston caught two touchdowns of 45-plus yards for BYU’s explosive passing attack. UCF quarterback Tayven Jackson threw for 232 yards and two scores but couldn’t keep pace after the early surge.
Arizona State’s loss to Arizona the night before solidified BYU’s place in the Big 12 championship game next week against Texas Tech, giving the Cougars a shot to avenge their only loss.
No. 12 Miami 38, No. 22 Pitt 7
Malachi Toney threw a touchdown pass and caught another while amassing 156 scrimmage yards as Miami crushed Pitt on the road.
Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck completed 23 of 29 passes for 267 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Miami (10-2, 6-2 ACC) finished the regular season on a four-game winning streak and dominated both lines of scrimmage.
Pitt quarterback Mason Heintschel went 22 of 32 for 199 yards, one touchdown and one interception. His lone scoring toss went to Justin Holmes early in the second quarter, giving the Panthers their only lead at 7-3 before Miami rattled off 35 unanswered points.
No. 14 Vanderbilt 45, No. 19 Tennessee 24
Sedrick Alexander ran for three touchdowns as Vanderbilt stunned host Tennessee in SEC play.
Vanderbilt outgained Tennessee 582-382 in the 119th all-time meeting between the programs and the first with both teams ranked. Diego Pavia was 18 of 28 for 268 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions for the Commodores (10-2, 6-2 SEC), and he added 165 rushing yards and another score on 20 carries. Alexander needed just 10 rushing attempts to pile up 115 yards, helping Vanderbilt average 8.5 yards per carry as a team.
Joey Aguilar went 29 of 44 for 299 yards and a touchdown for Tennessee (8-4, 4-4). DeSean Bishop paced the ground game with 97 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries.
No. 17 Southern California 29, UCLA 10
Jayden Maiava threw both of his touchdown passes in the second half to fuel USC’s comeback win over rival UCLA in Los Angeles.
After King Miller’s 5-yard touchdown run on the opening drive, USC (9-3, 7-2 Big Ten) went scoreless on four straight possessions, including two missed field goals. The Trojans finally broke through late in the third when Maiava connected with Makai Lemon for a 32-yard strike, their 11th touchdown hookup of the year, to take a 14-10 lead.
USC, which has now won four of five, scored again on its next possession when Maiava hit Lake McRee on a goal-line touchdown for a 21-10 edge. UCLA (3-9, 3-6) strung together two long, time-consuming scoring drives in the second quarter but saw its second-half possessions end with three punts and two turnovers on downs as the Trojans’ defense tightened.
No. 18 Virginia 27, Virginia Tech 7
J’Mari Taylor rushed for 80 yards and a touchdown and also threw for a score as Virginia cruised past archrival Virginia Tech in Charlottesville.
Chandler Morris completed 21 of 35 passes for 182 yards and added a rushing touchdown for the Cavaliers (10-2, 7-1), who punched their ticket to the ACC championship game on Dec. 6 against Duke, a 49-32 winner over Wake Forest.
Sage Ennis caught a touchdown pass as Virginia beat the Hokies for just the third time in the past 25 meetings, with the other wins coming in 2003 and 2019. Shamarius Peterkin prevented a shutout for Virginia Tech (3-9, 2-6), turning a short pass from Kyron Drones into a 57-yard touchdown with under five minutes left.
Cal 38, No. 21 SMU 35
Kendrick Raphael scored on a 2-yard run with 43 seconds left as Cal stunned SMU in Berkeley in interim coach Nick Rolovich’s debut, denying the Mustangs a trip to the ACC championship game.
A 1-yard plunge from T.J. Harden with 2:22 remaining capped SMU’s run of four straight second-half touchdown drives and gave the Mustangs (8-4, 6-2 ACC) a 35-31 lead, seemingly putting them in control of a date with Virginia. But freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who threw four touchdown passes, responded by completing five straight throws to march the Golden Bears (7-5, 4-4) down the field.
Raphael, who finished with 111 rushing yards, capped the drive by barely breaking the plane on his game-winning run. SMU still had a chance to force overtime, but Sam Keltner missed a 52-yard field goal wide right with three seconds remaining.
No. 24 Tulane 27, Charlotte 0
Tulane scored touchdowns on its first two drives and never looked back, shutting out Charlotte in New Orleans to secure a spot in the American Athletic Conference title game.
The Green Wave (10-2, 7-1) earned the right to host North Texas next Friday night in the AAC Championship Game, the first meeting between the two this season. Tulane quarterback Jake Retzlaff went 28 of 38 for 291 yards with two interceptions but rushed for two scores. Anthony Brown-Stephens caught nine passes for 98 yards, and Jamauri McClure added 69 rushing yards on 11 carries.
For Charlotte (1-11, 0-8), Grayson Loftis completed 18 of 25 passes for 140 yards with one interception as the 49ers’ offense never seriously threatened.
For bettors looking ahead to conference championship weekend and the College Football Playoff race, all of these results feed directly into the numbers and matchup edges behind Sportshub’s college football picks.