ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Ty Zentner kicked a 31-yard field goal in overtime as 13th-ranked Kansas State beat No. 3 and previously undefeated TCU 31-28 in the Big 12 championship game. That leaves the 12-1 Horned Frogs to wait until Sunday to find out if they had already done enough to get into the four-team College Football Playoff. TCU could still get in the playoff. Its case was helped when fourth-ranked Southern California lost to Utah in the Pac-12 championship game. Deuce Vaughn ran for 130 yards and a touchdown and Will Howard threw two TDs for the 10-3 Wildcats.
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Deuce Vaughn remembers coach Chris Klieman telling him about building a winning culture when he was recruiting the running back to Kansas State. Consider that a promise kept. Vaughn ran for 130 yards with a 44-yard touchdown and was the game’s MVP as the 13th-ranked Wildcats beat third-ranked playoff hopeful TCU 31-28 in the Big 12 championship game. Former backup Will Howard threw two touchdowns and Ty Zentner kicked a 31-yard field goal in overtime Saturday The Wildcats are likely headed to the Sugar Bowl after they reached 10 wins for the first time since 2012.
UNDATED (AP) — Alabama is going to get one last look from the College Football Playoff selection committee. Whether the Crimson Tide deserves it is debatable, at best, but after both TCU and Southern California lost on championship weekend the committee has to at least talk about making Alabama the first team with two losses to make the playoff. The field of four will be set Sunday. TCU coach Sonny Dykes said he was concerned about the Frogs' playoff status, but that he also had faith in the committee.
ATLANTA (AP) — With all sorts of turmoil behind them, No. 1 Georgia left no doubt about the top team heading into the College Football Playoff. The Bulldogs dismantled No. 11 LSU 50-30 in the Southeastern Conference championship game, earning a return trip to Atlanta on New Year's Eve for the Peach Bowl. Stetson Bennett’s threw a season-high four touchdown passes. Christopher Smith gave Georgia an early spark with a heads-up play that turned a seemingly harmless blocked field goal into a 96-yard TD. Georgia also turned a deflected pass off an LSU receiver's helmet into an interception that set up a TD.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Donovan Edwards ran for 185 yards and a score, J.J. McCarthy threw three touchdown passes and No. 2 Michigan beat Purdue 43-22 on Saturday night for its second straight Big Ten title and a likely No. 2 playoff seed. College football’s winningest program has the first 13-win season in school history. Two more victories would give the Wolverines (13-0, No. 2 CFP) their first national championship since 1997. And with injured star Blake Corum sidelined by a season-ending left knee injury, Edwards stole the show for the second straight week. Purdue dropped to 8-5.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Backup quarterback Cade Klubnik completed 20 of 24 passes for 279 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score and No. 10 Clemson reclaimed the Atlantic Coast Conference championship with a 39-10 victory over No. 24 North Carolina on Saturday night. Cornerback Nate Wiggins broke up two passes in the end zone, blocked a field goal and returned an interception 98 yards for a touchdown to help the Tigers win their seventh ACC title in eight seasons. Clemson (11-2, No. 9 CFP) won six straight ACC championships from 2015 to 2020 before failing to reach the title game last season. But coach Dabo Swinney’s Tigers rebounded in a big way, going 9-0 against ACC foes this season to reach the Orange Bowl.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — No. 12 Utah pounded a limping, bloodied Caleb Williams and roared past fourth-ranked Southern California 47-24 to not only win the Pac-12 Championship, but all but end USC’s College Football Playoff hopes. The loss by the Trojans could open the way for Ohio State to find a way in the CFP. USC is fourth in the CFP rankings, the Buckeyes are one step behind. Utah is heading to the Rose Bowl, but the Utes already were going there regardless of this outcome. They are responsible for USC’s only losses, having edged the Trojans 43-42 on Oct. 15 in Salt Lake City.
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Keyontae Johnson scored 17 points, Marquis Nowell hit a go-ahead 3-pointer in the final minute and Kansas State had the last rally in a 55-50 victory over Wichita State. Gus Okafor’s 3-pointer gave Wichita State a 45-39 lead with 10:02 left to play, but the Shockers didn’t score again until Quincy Ballard made 1 of 2 free throws with 5:14 remaining. Kansas State (7-1) took a 49-46, but Ballard sank two free throws, Craig Porter Jr. buried a jumper and Wichita State (4-4) grabbed a 50-49 lead with 2:13 to go. Nowell sank 1 of 2 free throws to knot the score, then stole the ball and sank a 3-pointer with an assist from Desi Sills to put K-State up 53-50 with 54 seconds left.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Caleb Daniels scored 22 points and top freshman Cam Whitmore brought instant energy in his debut following a thumb injury to lead Villanova to a 70-66 win over Oklahoma in the first game with former Wildcats coach Jay Wright in the broadcast booth. Wright wore a headset on the CBS broadcast for both his broadcast debut and the first collegiate game for Whitmore, arguably his most prized recruit over his Hall of Fame coaching career. Wright never coached Whitmore following his stunning resignation in April after he won two national championships and took the Wildcats to the Final Four last season.
CINCINNATI (AP) — Souley Boum scored 23 points, Jack Nunge added 17 points and 14 rebounds, and Xavier defeated West Virginia 84-74 in the Big East-Big 12 Battle. Boum, coming off an all-tournament performance at the Phil Knight Legacy, added seven assists and four rebounds. He attempted only eight shots but made 11 of 14 free throws. After trailing 43-36 at halftime, Xavier made a push early in the second half and took a 56-55 lead on a jumper by Nunge with 12:53 remaining. After the 4-minute media timeout, Boum made three free throws that began a stretch in which he scored nine of Xavier’s next 10 points and the Musketeers won going away.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Adam Flagler hit a pair of 3s as No. 6 Baylor scored the final eight points of the game to rally past No. 14 Gonzaga 64-63. Gonzaga’s Rasir Bolton missed a wild, driving layup try at the buzzer. The Bears are 6-2. They trailed 63-56 before Flagler hit a 3-pointer with 1:33 left. Flagler’s 3 with just over a minute to play cut Baylor’s deficit to 63-62. Flagler later missed a 3-point attempt, but teammate Jalen Bridges was fouled by Drew Timme on the rebound attempt. Bridges hit two free throws with 16 seconds left for the lead. Freshman Keyonte George had 18 points and seven rebounds for Baylor. Flagler had 11 points. Malchi Smith scored 16 points for Gonzaga. The Zags are 5-3.
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark says the conference is already getting younger and more contemporary. That is just like he hoped when he took the job during the summer. The football is pretty good, too. Speaking at the league’s championship game Saturday, Yormark says this has been probably the league’s most exciting football season in years. He says third-ranked TCU has captured the imagination of fans all over the country. He adds attendance and ratings were up league-wide with eight of the 10 teams being bowl eligible. The league is also finalizing an extension of its media rights deal with ESPN and Fox.
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Deion Sanders is taking over as head coach at Colorado, bringing his charisma and larger-than-life persona to a beleaguered Pac-12 program that’s plunged to the bottom of college football. The deal was announced Saturday by CU athletic director Rick George. The Pro Football Hall of Famer has been at Jackson State, a historically Black college that plays in the NCAA’s second tier of Division I, since 2020. Sanders has guided the Tigers to consecutive Southwestern Athletic Conference titles. The Tigers beat Southern in the SWAC championship game Saturday in Jackson, Mississippi. A few hours later, Colorado announced he was coming to Boulder. The Tigers went 27-5 in the Sanders era. Colorado is coming off a 1-11 season.
SATURDAY SCORES
TOP-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Final (1)Georgia 50 (11)LSU 30
Final (13)Kansas St. 31 (3)TCU 28
Final (18)Tulane 45 (22)UCF 28
Final (10)Clemson 39 (24)North Carolina 10
Final (2)Michigan 43 Purdue 22
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (1)Houston 53 Saint Mary's (Cal.) 48
Final (3)Virginia 62 Florida St. 57
Final Rutgers 63 (10)Indiana 48
Final (11)Arkansas 99 San Jose St. 58
Final (11)Alabama 78 S. Dakota St. 65
Final (17)Duke 75 Boston College 59
Final (25)Ohio St. 96 St. Francis (Pa.) 59
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Dallas 121 New York 100
Final Sacramento 123 L.A. Clippers 96
Final Milwaukee 105 Charlotte 96
Final Toronto 121 Orlando 108
Final Oklahoma City 135 Minnesota 128
Final Golden State 120 Houston 101
Final Portland 116 Utah 111
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final SO Minnesota 5 Anaheim 4
Final New Jersey 3 Philadelphia 2
Final Vegas 4 Detroit 1
Final Pittsburgh 6 St. Louis 2
Final Ottawa 5 San Jose 2
Final Edmonton 5 Montreal 3
Final Boston 5 Colorado 1
Final OT Tampa Bay 4 Toronto 3
Final Chicago 5 N-Y Rangers 2
Final Florida 5 Seattle 1
Final Calgary 5 Washington 2
Final OT Vancouver 3 Arizona 2
Final Carolina 4 Los Angeles 2