Deadspin | Top 25 roundup: No. 10 Alabama survives, will play for SEC title

Isaiah Horton caught three landing passes from Ty Simpson to assist No. 10 Alabama survive blowing a 17-point result in escape with a 27-20 win over rival and host Auburn within the Iron Bowl on Saturday night time.

The Crimson Tide (10-2, 7-1 Southeastern Conference) not solely clinched a spot within the SEC championship recreation vs. Georgia subsequent Saturday with the dramatic victory, however in addition they doubtless locked up a spot within the College Football Playoff.

After the Tigers tied the sport with 11:43 left, Alabama responded with a 15-play, 75-yard drive which took almost eight minutes off the clock. It ended with a fourth-and-2 conversion when Simpson discovered Horton as soon as once more for what turned the game-winning 6-yard landing catch. Auburn’s ensuing drive moved nicely throughout midfield earlier than Cam Coleman fumbled on the Crimson Tide 20 and Alabama’s Deontae Lawson recovered.

Horton had simply 5 catches for 35 yards, however three of them had been touchdowns. Simpson had a season-low 122 yards, finishing 19 of 35 passes. Jam Miller had 83 dashing yards on 15 carries earlier than leaving the sport with a leg damage. Ashton Daniels was 18-of-39 passing for 259 yards, a landing and an interception for Auburn (5-7, 1-7), which finishes a win shy of bowl eligibility. He additionally ran for 108 of the Tigers’ 152 dashing yards. 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 accidents and every had a landing catch, whereas Bo Jackson ran for greater than 100 yards because the visiting Buckeyes ended a four-game dropping streak to the Wolverines with a dominant victory.

Ohio State (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten) performs No. 2 Indiana within the Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis on Dec. 6. Julian Sayin threw first-half landing passes to Smith and Brandon Inniss when the Buckeyes rallied for a 17-9 lead. Tate made it 24-9 halfway via the third quarter when Sayin noticed him open on the 6-yard line for a 50-yard landing. Sayin was 19 of 26 for 233 yards, three touchdowns and an interception because the Buckeyes defeated Michigan for the primary time since 2019.

Jackson, a freshman, ran for 117 yards and amassed 49 receiving yards for the Buckeyes. Freshman QB Bryce Underwood was 8 of 18 for 63 yards and a late interception for Michigan. Kicker Dominic Zvada hit 3 of three subject purpose makes an attempt, together with a 49-yarder in snow showers.

No. 5 Texas Tech 49, West Virginia 0

Behren Morton threw all three of his landing passes within the first half because the Red Raiders used a quick begin to earn a spot within the Big 12 Conference championship recreation for the primary time with a victory over the Mountaineers in Morgantown, W.Va.

Terrance Carter Jr. had 10 receptions for 98 yards, whereas Caleb Douglas had 127 receiving yards and two first-half landing catches because the Red Raiders (11-1, 8-1 Big 12) received their fifth consecutive recreation. Morton accomplished 25 of 32 passes for 310 yards and Cameron Dickey had 79 yards dashing with a receiving TD.

Scotty Fox Jr. accomplished 13 of 23 passes for 98 yards and one interception because the Mountaineers (4-8, 2-7) misplaced their final two video games to finish their season. It was the primary time for the reason that 2013 season that West Virginia completed with fewer than 5 wins.

No. 6 Oregon 26, Washington 14

Atticus Sappington made all 4 of his subject objectives, together with a career-long 51-yard kick late within the third quarter, and the Ducks held on for a win over the Huskies in Seattle.

Dante Moore accomplished 20 of 29 passes for 286 yards and a landing and ran for an additional rating for Oregon (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten), which completed the common season on a six-game profitable streak. Malik Benson led the Ducks with 5 receptions for 102 yards and a landing.

For Washington (8-4, 5-4), Demond Williams Jr. threw two interceptions and was sacked 4 instances as Oregon’s protection pressured him for a lot of the afternoon. He added a pair of landing passes to Denzel Boston.

No. 8 Oklahoma 17, LSU 13

John Mateer threw for 318 yards and two touchdowns, overcoming three interceptions to assist the Sooner maintain on to beat LSU in Norman, Oklahoma.

Mateer hit Isaiah Sategna III for a 58-yard landing with simply 4:16 remaining, after which Oklahoma (10-2, 6-2 SEC) held on within the closing minutes to flee. After Sategna’s rating, a 47-yard kick return by Barion Brown bought the Tigers to midfield, however they had been unable to seek out the tip zone. The win doubtless places the Sooners into the College Football Playoff for the primary time since 2019.

LSU (7-5, 3-5) recorded solely 113 yards passing and 85 yards on the bottom. It was LSU’s lowest offensive output since November 3, 2018, after they mustered solely 196 whole yards in opposition to then-No. 2 Alabama.

No. 11 BYU 41, UCF 21

The Cougars made a press release, rallying from an early 14-0 deficit to beat the Knights in Provo, Utah.

BYU operating again LJ Martin rushed for 3 touchdowns. Quarterback Bear Bachmeier had 289 yards passing with an 84 p.c completion share, and extensive receiver Parker Kingston had two 45-plus-yard touchdowns. Meanwhile, UCF quarterback Tayven Jackson threw for 232 yards and two touchdowns.

Arizona State’s loss to Arizona final night time solidified BYU’s place within the Big 12 championship recreation subsequent week in opposition to Texas Tech, offering an opportunity for the Cougars to avenge their lone loss.

No. 12 Miami 38, No. 22 Pitt 7

Malachi Toney threw a landing move and caught one other whereas amassing 156 scrimmage yards to steer the Hurricanes to a dominant win over the Panthers in Pittsburgh.

Miami quarterback Carson Beck accomplished 23 of 29 passes for 267 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. The Hurricanes (10-2, 6-2 ACC) completed their common season on a four-game profitable streak.

Pitt quarterback Mason Heintschel accomplished 22 of 32 passes for 199 yards, one landing and one interception. Heintschel tossed his lone landing move to Justin Holmes with 14:20 left within the second quarter to provide the Panthers their solely lead of the sport at 7-3.

No. 14 Vanderbilt 45, No. 19 Tennessee 24

Sedrick Alexander ran for 3 touchdowns because the Commodores picked up a highway win over the Volunteers in SEC motion from Knoxville, Tenn.

Vanderbilt outgained Tennessee 582-382 within the 119th all-time matchup between the faculties — and the primary ever assembly the place each groups had been ranked. Diego Pavia went 18 of 28 for 268 yards with a landing and two interceptions for the Commodores (10-2, 6-2 SEC), whereas including 20 carries for 165 yards and a rating. Alexander rushed 10 instances for 115 yards, serving to Vanderbilt common 8.5 yards per carry as a workforce.

Joey Aguilar went 29 of 44 for 299 yards and a landing for Tennessee (8-4, 4-4). DeSean Bishop fueled the Volunteers’ floor recreation with 20 carries for 97 yards and two touchdowns.

No. 17 Southern California 29, UCLA 10

Jayden Maiava threw each of his landing passes within the second half to spearhead the Trojans’ comeback win over the rival Bruins in Los Angeles.

After King Miller carried for a 5-yard rating on the primary drive of the sport, USC (9-3, 7-2 Big Ten Conference) failed to attain on 4 straight possessions (together with two missed subject objectives). The Trojans lastly broke via simply earlier than the tip of the third quarter when Maiava discovered Makai Lemon for the one time within the contest, however on their eleventh landing connection of the season, on a 32-yard bomb for a 14-10 USC lead.

USC, which has received 4 of its final 5, struck once more on its subsequent possession when Maiava hit Lake McRee on a goal-line landing that pushed its result in 21-10. UCLA (3-9, 3-6), which scored on a pair of prolonged time-consuming drives within the second quarter, noticed its second-half possessions finish in three consecutive punts and a turnover on downs earlier than one other turnover on downs successfully sealed the USC win.

No. 18 Virginia 27, Virginia Tech 7

J’Mari Taylor rushed for 80 yards and one landing and likewise handed for a rating to assist the host Cavaliers roll to a straightforward victory over the Hokies in Atlantic Coast Conference play in Charlottesville, Va.

Chandler Morris accomplished 21 of 35 passes for 182 yards and added a dashing rating for the Cavaliers (10-2, 7-1), who will play within the ACC championship recreation on Dec. 6 in opposition to Duke, a 49-32 winner over visiting Wake Forest on Saturday.

Sage Ennis caught a landing move as Virginia defeated the Hokies for simply the third time up to now 25 conferences. The different victories got here in 2003 and 2019. Shamarius Peterkin turned a brief move from Kyron Drones right into a 57-yard landing with lower than 5 minutes to play to maintain the Hokies (3-9, 2-6) from being shut out.

Cal 38, No. 21 SMU 35

Kendrick Raphael scored on a 2-yard run with 43 seconds remaining because the Golden Bears, in interim coach Nick Rolovich’s debut, surprised the Mustangs in Berkeley, Calif., denying SMU a spot within the Atlantic Coast Conference championship recreation.

A 1-yard plunge by T.J. Harden with 2:22 remaining capped SMU’s run of touchdowns on 4 consecutive second-half possessions for a 35-31 lead, placing the Mustangs (8-4, 6-2 ACC) within the driver’s seat for a shot at Virginia for the ACC title subsequent Saturday.

But freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who threw 4 touchdowns, accomplished 5 consecutive passes to rapidly transfer the Golden Bears (7-5, 4-4) in scoring place. Raphael then capped a 111-yard dashing night time together with his scamper that hardly broke the aircraft of the purpose line. SMU had an opportunity to drive time beyond regulation, however Sam Keltner missed extensive proper from 52 yards on a possible game-tying subject purpose with three seconds left.

No. 24 Tulane 27, Charlotte 0

The Green Wave did their injury early by discovering paydirt on their first two drives, locking in a spot within the American Conference title recreation by blanking the 49ers in New Orleans, La.

With the win, the Green Wave (10-2, 7-1) earned the appropriate to host North Texas subsequent Friday night time within the American Football Championship within the first assembly between the groups this season.

Tulane’s Jake Retzlaff went 28 of 38 for 291 yards and two interceptions however rushed for 2 scores. Anthony Brown-Stephens had 9 catches for 98 yards. Jamauri McClure rushed for 69 yards on 11 carries. For Charlotte (1-11, 0-8), Grayson Loftis accomplished 18 of 25 passes for 140 yards with an interception.

–Field Level Media