Top-25 College Football Game Capsules

Auburn, AL (SportsNetwork.com) – The 78th Iron Bowl will be remembered as one of the greatest in the storied rivalry between Auburn and Alabama. Heck, maybe even one of the greatest games in college football history. The fourth-ranked Auburn Tigers stunned the top-ranked and two-time defending champion Alabama Crimson Tide, 34-28, when Chris Davis fielded a missed field goal a yard short of the back of the end zone and used a convoy of blockers en route to a miraculous touchdown on the game’s final play. The incredible finish came two weeks after Auburn (11-1, 7-1 SEC) kept its national title hopes alive with a similarly unlikely win against Georgia. Now, the Tigers are headed to Atlanta to face Missouri in the SEC Championship Game. The last seven SEC champions have gone on to win the BCS title, but this year’s winner may need help with Florida State and Ohio State still being undefeated heading into their conference title games. Alabama (11-1, 7-1) had plenty of chances to put the game away. Cade Foster missed three field goals — two coming in the fourth quarter — and head coach Nick Saban opted to keep his offense on the field on 4th-and-1 from the Auburn 13-yard line with less than six minutes remaining and the Tide up by seven.

Final Score: (2) Florida State 37, Florida 7

Gainesville, FL (SportsNetwork.com) – Jameis Winston threw three touchdown passes to Kelvin Benjamin as the second-ranked Florida State Seminoles concluded an undefeated regular season with a 37-7 victory over rival Florida. Winston continued to put any distractions from an ongoing sexual assault investigation aside, completing 19-of-31 passes for 327 yards. Benjamin accounted for the bulk of the yards as he totaled a career-high 212 on nine receptions. Devonta Freeman added a rushing touchdown for Florida State (12-0). The last 12-0 Florida State team reached that mark by capturing the 1999 national championship. The current incarnation is now seemingly a win over Duke in next week’s ACC championship game away from contesting for another national title. Whether Winston will be available to play is unclear. For the first time this season, the Seminoles failed to score at least 40 points. They had tied the 2005 Texas squad’s single- season FBS mark for the most consecutive 40-point games. Skyler Mornhinweg connected on 20-of-25 passes, but had just 115 yards and a touchdown for the Gators (4-8), who wrapped up their first losing season since 1979 on a seven- game slide.

Final Score: (3) Ohio State 42, Michigan 41

Ann Arbor, MI (SportsNetwork.com) – Brady Hoke’s gamble didn’t pay off and Ohio State still has national championship hopes. Michigan answered Ohio State’s go-ahead touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter with an 84- yard scoring march. Devin Gardner’s 2-yard touchdown pass to Devin Funchess with 32 seconds to play pulled the Wolverines within one and Hoke decided to go for the win. Gardner’s two-point conversion pass was intercepted by Tyvis Powell at the goal line and the third-ranked Buckeyes held on for a thrilling 42-41 win over the Wolverines in another classic edition of the annual rivalry from Michigan Stadium. The Buckeyes (12-0, 8-0 Big Ten), behind the unstoppable running of Carlos Hyde and quarterback Braxton Miller, completed a second straight undefeated regular season under Urban Meyer and this year will get to play for the Big Ten title after NCAA sanctions prohibited Ohio State from postseason play a year ago. Ohio State will battle Michigan State next Saturday in Indianapolis for the conference championship. The Buckeyes’ hope for an opportunity to play for a national championship got a boost when Auburn stunned top-ranked Alabama with a last-second touchdown on a missed field goal return.

Final Score: (5) Missouri 28, (19) Texas A&M 21

Columbia, MO (SportsNetwork.com) – So whose comeback season was better? We’ll find out the answer to that question next Saturday. Henry Josey scampered for a go-ahead 57-yard TD run with 3:34 remaining and No. 5 Missouri clinched the SEC East with a 28-21 triumph over No. 19 Texas A&M. The Tigers (11-1, 7-1 SEC) advance to the conference championship next Saturday to take on Auburn in a matchup of lightly-regarded schools prior to the season. Missouri didn’t make a bowl game for the first time in nine seasons a year ago, while fourth-ranked Auburn has already improved last year’s win total by eight under new head coach Gus Malzahn. Auburn stunned top-ranked and two-time defending champion Alabama to take the SEC West earlier Saturday, 34-28, when Chris Davis fielded a missed field goal a yard short of the back of the end zone and used a convoy of blockers en route to a miraculous touchdown on the game’s final play. James Franklin was 18-of-28 for 233 yards and two touchdowns for Missouri, which beat its fourth-ranked opponent and reached 11 wins for the third time in school history, twice under head coach Pinkel. Pinkel tied Don Faurot for the most wins in Missouri history with 103.

Final Score: (10) South Carolina 31, (6) Clemson 17

Columbia, SC (SportsNetwork.com) – South Carolina pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney pledged he’d never to lose to Clemson in his career. His promise has been fulfilled. The No. 10 Gamecocks forced six turnovers Saturday and defeated No. 6 Clemson 31-17 in the Palmetto State Showdown. South Carolina (10-2), which forced four of those giveaways in the fourth quarter, won its record fifth straight over the Tigers (10-2) in a series that began in 1896 and extended its school record home winning streak to 18 games. The Gamecocks were waiting on No. 5 Missouri’s result against Texas A&M to see if they’d have a game to play next Saturday, but the Tigers beat the Aggies 28-21 to clinch the SEC East Division crown and a spot in the SEC Championship Game.

Final Score: (8) Stanford 27, (25) Notre Dame 20

Stanford, CA (SportsNetwork.com) – The Notre Dame Fighting Irish made a goal- line stand last season, defeating the Stanford Cardinal in overtime en route to a perfect regular season and a BCS National Championship appearance. This season, however, Stanford got some revenge by doing what they do best, running the football and daring the opposing defense to stop them. Tyler Gaffney rushed for a career-high 189 yards with a touchdown on 33 carries to lead No. 8 Stanford to a 27-20 win over 25th-ranked Notre Dame at Stanford Stadium. Kevin Hogan was 12-for-18 passing for 158 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions and Anthony Wilkerson finished with 34 yards on five carries and a score for the Cardinal (10-2), who outrushed Notre Dame 261-64 in the win. Notre Dame (8-4) had a chance to tie it late but Wayne Lyons came up with his second interception of the day and Stanford ran out the final 2:24 of clock to secure the win. Tommy Rees threw for 199 yards on 16-of-34 passing with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Final Score: (9) Baylor 41, TCU 38

Fort Worth, TX (SportsNetwork.com) – Bryce Petty had two touchdown passes and No. 9 Baylor returned two interceptions for touchdowns Saturday in a 41-38 win over TCU. TCU’s Casey Pachall was picked off a third time in the end zone in the final seconds as Baylor held on for the win a week after its school- record 13-game winning streak was snapped in a 49-17 loss to Oklahoma State. Perry completed just 19 of his 38 throws for 206 yards but threw touchdown passes to Clay Fuller and Levi Norwood and also ran for a score. The Bears (10-1, 7-1 Big 12) scored 21 straight points off turnovers to squash some TCU momentum in the first half, including an 82-yard interception return by Orion Stewart and a 54-yard pick-six by Eddie Lackey. Baylor, Oklahoma State and Texas are all 7-1 in the Big 12. Baylor finishes the regular season at home against Texas next Saturday and Oklahoma State plays Oklahoma after a bye week.

Final Score: (11) Michigan State 14, Minnesota 3

East Lansing, MI (SportsNetwork.com) – Jeremy Langford ran for a touchdown and Connor Cook threw for a score, as 11th-ranked Michigan State completed an undefeated Big Ten regular season with a 14-3 victory over Minnesota at Spartan Stadium. The Spartans did just enough offensively, scoring on their first possession of the game and their initial series of the second half, in a tune-up for next week’s Big Ten championship game against Ohio State. Michigan State (11-1, 8-0 Big Ten) won its final eight games for its third unbeaten Big Ten regular season and first since accomplishing the feat in 1965 and 1966. The Spartans’ lone loss came Sept. 21 in a 17-13 loss at Notre Dame. Langford finished with 134 yards on 21 carries in the victory, while Cook completed just 10-of-20 passes for 143 yards. Minnesota (8-4, 4-4) completed a successful regular season despite back-to-back losses after winning four in a row. The Gophers hadn’t won as many as eight games in a season since the 2003 squad finished 10-3.

Final Score: (13) Arizona State 58, Arizona 21

Tempe, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) – D.J. Foster rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns in the 13th-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils’ 58-21 victory over the Arizona Wildcats. De’Marieya Nelson carried the ball eight times for 35 yards and two scores for the Sun Devils (10-2, 8-1 Pac-12), who will host No. 8 Stanford in next Saturday’s Pac-12 title game with a spot in the Rose Bowl on the line. Taylor Kelly completed 13-of-25 passes for 274 yards, two touchdowns and an interception for Arizona State, which has won seven in a row. Jaelen Strong caught four passes for 142 yards and a score. B.J. Denker connected on 15-of-30 passes for 175 yards and three interceptions for the Wildcats (7-5, 4-5), who lost three of four to end the regular season. Denker also carried the ball 15 times for 87 yards and a score.

Final Score: Penn State 31, (14) Wisconsin 24

Madison, WI (SportsNetwork.com) – Christian Hackenberg capped his freshman campaign with a career-high four touchdown passes, as Penn State upended No. 14 Wisconsin, 31-24, on Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium. Hackenberg completed 21-of-30 passes for 339 yards with a pair of touchdown tosses to Eugene Lewis, who finished with 91 yards on three catches. Adam Breneman and Jesse James added a receiving score apiece, while Allen Robinson racked up a team-high 122 yards on eight grabs for the Nittany Lions (7-5, 4-4 Big Ten), who have the requisite number of wins to go to the postseason, but are ineligible due to NCAA sanctions stemming from the Jerry Sandusky scandal. The Badgers, meanwhile, were looking to keep their hopes of an at- large BCS bid alive with a seventh-straight win, but saw signal-caller Joe Stave struggle to find his rhythm for much of the tilt. Stave finished 29-of-53 passing for 339 yards and three touchdowns with three interceptions, while Melvin Gordon rushed 13 times for 91 yards for the Badgers (9-3, 6-2), who dropped their first home game of the season.

Final Score: (22) UCLA 35, (23) Southern California 14

Los Angeles, CA (SportsNetwork.com) – UCLA beat USC at the Coliseum for the first time since 1997. Brett Hundley carried the ball 13 times for 80 yards and two touchdowns in the 22nd-ranked Bruins’ 35-14 victory over the 23rd- ranked Trojans. Hundley connected on 18-of-27 passes for 208 yards for UCLA (9-3, 6-3 Pac-12), which won four of five to end the regular season. Cody Kessler completed 17-of-28 passes for 174 yards and one touchdown for USC (9-4, 6-3), which had won five straight in its revitalized season under interim coach Ed Orgeron.

Final Score: (24) Duke 27, North Carolina 25

Chapel Hill, NC (SportsNetwork.com) – Ross Martin kicked a go-ahead 27-yard field goal with 2:22 remaining and a DeVon Edwards interception secured Duke’s first 10-win season along with the ACC Coastal Division title as the 24th- ranked Blue Devils edged rival North Carolina, 27-25. Anthony Boone threw two touchdown passes to Jamison Crowder and finished with 274 yards on 23-of-34 efficiency for Duke (10-2, 6-2 ACC), which heads into next week’s conference championship game against Florida State having won eight games in a row. The winning streak is one game shy of the school record set in 1933 and matched in 1938 and 1941. North Carolina (6-6, 4-4) had taken a 25-24 lead on Thomas Moore’s 37-yard field goal with 7:03 left in the fourth quarter. The Tar Heels converted a pair of third downs on the drive after beginning the game 0-for-8.

Categorized in: NCAA Football