No. 2 Indiana beats No. 1 Ohio St. 13-10 to end Big Ten title drought, lock up top playoff seed
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Fernando Mendoza’s 17-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Sarratt gave No. 2 Indiana the lead midway through the third quarter and the Hoosiers’ stingy defense pitched a shutout the rest of the way to beat No. 1 Ohio State 13-10 for their first Big Ten championship since 1967 while likely locking up the top seed in the College Football Playoff. The Hoosiers extended the best record in school history to 13-0, and are poised to claim the No. 1 spot in The Associated Press Top 25 for the first time ever. They did it by snapping a 30-game losing streak to the Buckeyes that stretched to 1988 and by ending major college football’s longest winning streak at 16 games. Ohio State dropped to 12-1 overall after missing a 29-yard field goal with 2:48 to play.
No. 3 Georgia ends No. 10 Alabama’s hold on rivalry, beats Crimson Tide 28-7 to win SEC championship
ATLANTA (AP) — No. 3 Georgia has solidified its position for a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff by beating Alabama in the Southeastern Conference championship game for the first time. The Bulldogs pounded the 10th-ranked Crimson Tide 28-7 on Saturday behind three touchdown passes from Gunner Stockton. Georgia had been 0-4 against Alabama in the SEC title game and 1-7 against the Crimson Tide under coach Kirby Smart. The Bulldogs earned their fourth SEC title under Smart and 16th overall. The lopsided loss means Alabama will have to worry about its standing with the College Football Playoff committee.
Texas Tech earns Big 12 title and likely first-round CFP bye with 34-7 win over BYU
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Texas Tech linebacker Ben Roberts had two interceptions after halftime and the No. 5 Red Raiders won the Big 12 championship with 34-7 victory over BYU. The win Saturday almost certainly locks up a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff for the 12-1 Red Raiders, who entered the game No. 4 in the CFP rankings. Tech also has its first Big 12 title. Behren Morton, who didn’t play in Tech’s only loss at Arizona State, threw for two touchdowns to Coy Eakin. The only losses by 11-2 BYU are to the Red Raiders, but the 11th-ranked Cougars will not make the playoff after four turnovers in the second half.