COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — J.J. McCarthy threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score, Donovan Edwards ran for two long fourth-quarter TDs and No. 3 Michigan pulled away for a 45-23 rout of No. 2 Ohio State to keep its national title hopes firmly on track. McCarthy exploited holes in the Buckeyes secondary and helped Michigan capture two straight wins over Ohio State for the first time in over two decades and walk away from Ohio Stadium with a victory for the first time since 2000.
TCU 62, Iowa State 14
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Kendre Miller ran for two touchdowns as fourth-ranked TCU completed the first undefeated regular season by a Big 12 team since 2009 with a 62-14 victory over Iowa State. The win got the 12-0 Horned Frogs closer to making the four-team College Football Playoff. Max Duggan threw TDs to three receivers for the Frogs, who still have the Big 12 championship game to play next Saturday in coach Sonny Dykes’ first season. But they will go into that as one of only three undefeated teams remaining. Iowa State finished 4-8 after its most lopsided loss since the 2014 finale at TCU.
South Carolina 31, Clemson 30
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Spencer Rattler threw for 360 yards and two touchdowns and South Carolina beat a top-10 opponent for the second straight week with a 31-30 victory over No. 7 Clemson. The Gamecocks rallied from 14-0 down in the first quarter to end a seven-game series losing streak. They also ended the Tigers’ 40-game home winning streak that stretched to 2016. Antwane Wells Jr. had nine catches for 131 yards including both of Rattler’s TD throws. A week ago, South Carolina stunned then-fifth-ranked Tennessee 63-38.
Georgia 37, Georgia Tech 14
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Stetson Bennett threw two touchdown passes and No. 1 Georgia completed back-to-back undefeated regular seasons for the first time in school history by overcoming a slow start to beat Georgia Tech 37-14. Georgia was down 7-0 early but scored 37 unanswered points for its fifth consecutive win in the state rivalry. The Bulldogs led Georgia Tech only 10-7 at halftime before overpowering the Yellow Jackets with their running game. Kenny McIntosh and Kendall Milton ran for touchdowns. Georgia outrushed Georgia Tech 264-40. Georgia advances to next week’s Southeastern Conference championship game against No. 6 LSU.
USD 38, Notre Dame 27
LOS ANGELES (AP) — No. 5 Southern California capped its outstanding regular season under new coach Lincoln Riley by staying firmly in the College Football Playoff race with a 38-27 victory over No. 13 Notre Dame. Caleb Willams polished his Heisman Trophy credentials with 232 yards passing and four total touchdowns while the Trojans completed their first 11-win regular season since 2008 by ending their four-game losing streak to their rival. Notre Dame’s Drew Pyne passed for 318 yards and completed his first 15 throws into the fourth quarter. Michael Mayer, Deion Colzie and Logan Diggs all scored TDs for the Fighting Irish. USC will face No. 14 Utah on Friday in Las Vegas in the Pac-12 championship game.
Texas A&M 38, LSU 23
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Devon Achane had a career-best 215 yards rushing with two touchdowns, and Texas A&M stunned No. 6 LSU 38-23, all but certainly knocking the Tigers out of contention for the College Football Playoff. Conner Weigman threw two TD passes for the Aggies and Demani Richardson returned a fumble for a score. The game was tied at 17-all in the third quarter before A&M scored 21 straight points. LSU had already secured a spot in next week’s SEC title game against unbeaten No. 1 Georgia, and a win there could have put the Tigers in the playoff. But now they have three losses and even beating Georgia likely won’t be enough.
