UNDATED (AP) — Kentucky and LSU played their way out of the College Football Playoff with consecutive losses. The No. 13 Wildcats and 24th-ranked Tigers suffered their third and fourth losses of the season, respectively, in Southeastern Conference action. Arch Manning threw a touchdown pass with 3 seconds remaining, rallying No. 8 Texas to a 22-21 win against slightly favored LSU in Baton Rouge. The Tigers lost to Alabama last week at home. Unranked Florida, one of the most up-and-down teams in the country, dealt Kentucky a second straight loss, 21-14 in Lexington. The Cats lost last week at Tennessee.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Grant Wilson threw two touchdown passes in his first start for No. 6 Indiana, Khobie Martin scored on a 1-yard run and the Hoosiers had two late interceptions to preserve a crucial 27-13 victory over No. 15 USC on Saturday. The victory helps Indiana (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten, No. 9 CFP) solidify its postseason resume after falling five spots in this week’s playoff rankings. Indiana has won three straight since losing to then-No. 2 Ohio State, and this time they did it with Wilson filling in for Josh Hoover. Coach Curt Cignetti said Hoover was healthy but he went with Wilson anyway. The Trojans (7-3, 4-3, No. 18) needed a victory to keep their playoff — and Big Ten title hopes alive
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Dylan Raiola threw for 341 yards and four touchdowns, and No. 18 Oregon kept its slim chances for a spot in the College Football Playoff alive with a 31-7 victory over struggling Michigan. Jeremiah McClellan caught four passes for 105 yards and a score for the Ducks, who are ranked No. 16 in the CFP rankings. Oregon has won three straight games. Michigan is still seeking a sixth win to become bowl-eligible in the Wolverines’ first season under coach Kyle Whittingham.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Luke Fahey passed for 201 yards and three touchdowns, Jeremiah Smith had 11 receptions for 117 yards and a score, and No. 21 Ohio State defeated Northwestern 28-19 on Saturday. Bo Jackson had 114 yards rushing and a touchdown as the Buckeyes bounced back after losing two straight regular season games for the first time since 2011. Northwestern quarterback Nicco Marchiol had 225 yards passing and accounted for both Wildcats touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough as they lost their third straight game. Jackson Kleather had a pair of field goals. Smith, who has 3,875 career receiving yards, surpassed Purdue’s John Standeford Big Ten mark in the second quarter.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Rocco Becht threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score and Penn State pulled away from Minnesota 42-14 on Saturday.Carson Hansen ran for 126 yards and a touchdown, Ben Brahmer caught two touchdown passes and Penn State’s defense suffocated Minnesota early under a swirling mix of mist and flurries to become bowl eligible at Beaver Stadium.The Nittany Lions got their third-straight win in league play thanks to a bruising ground attack that set the tone early and churned out 173 yards of its 229 rushing yards in the first half.
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Jayden Limar had a tiebreaking, 1-yard touchdown run with 2:24 left and Washington held on to beat Michigan State 21-14 after being one of the teams whose travel plans were delayed by the Federal Aviation Administration’s decision to ground all flights. The Huskies became eligible for a bowl with their third straight win on the road. The Spartans can’t earn an automatic bid to the postseason in coach Pat Fitzgerald’s debut season after losing for the seventh time in eight games. Michigan State missed two chances to break a 14-all tie in the second half
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Hank Brown threw for a touchdown and ran for another, LJ Phillips rushed for 123 yards and No. 16 Iowa beat Purdue 28-7 on Saturday night. The Hawkeyes (8-2, 5-2 Big Ten) won their third consecutive game behind an offense that had 434 yards and a defense that held the Boilermakers (3-7, 2-5) to their lowest points total of the season. Brown had a 1-yard touchdown run to open the scoring for Iowa, then threw a short pass that Braeden Jackson turned into a 44-yard touchdown late in the first half that gave the Hawkeyes a 21-7 halftime lead. Phillips had his second consecutive 100-yard rushing game. He had 128 yards in Iowa’s 24-10 win over Northwestern last Saturday.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Anthony Colandrea passed for two touchdowns and ran for another to help Nebraska keep its post-season hopes alive with a 31-0 blowout win over Rutgers. The Cornhuskers started the season 5-0, then dropped four consecutive games, with three of those losses decided by one score. In those losses, Nebraska averaged just 13.5 points per game and failed to score more than 17 points. Rutgers has lost 13 of its last 16 Big Ten Conference games. The Scarlet Knights have dropped five of those eight games by at least 16 points and have allowed at least 28 points in nine of 10 games this season.
