STARS
-J.K. Dobbins, Ohio State, ran for 211 yards and four TDs to help the No. 2 Buckeyes rout No. 10 Michigan 56-27 for a school-record eighth straight win in the series.
-Joe Burrow, LSU, padded his Heisman Trophy resume with 352 yards and three touchdowns passing and the No.1 Tigers beat Texas A&M 50-7.
- Lynn Bowden, Kentucky, set an SEC record by a quarterback with 284 yards rushing and scored four TDs as the Wildcats blew out rival Louisville 45-13 in the Governor’s Cup showdown.
-Jaylen Waddle, Alabama, caught three TD passes and scored on a 98-yard kickoff return in the No 5 Crimson Tide’s 48-45 loss to No. 16 Auburn.
-Trevor Lawrence, Clemson, threw for 295 yards and three TDs to lead the No. 3 Tigers to their 27th straight victory and second consecutive 12-0 regular season with a 38-3 victory over rival South Carolina.
-Jake Fromm, Georgia, threw four TD passes and the No. 4 Bulldogs cruised into the Southeastern Conference championship game with a 52-7 victory over Georgia Tech.
-Brant Kuithe, Utah, scored three TDs and the No. 6 Utes locked up a spot in the Pac-12 championship game for the second consecutive season with a 45-15 victory over Colorado.
-Kennedy Brooks, Oklahoma, rushed for 160 yards and a TD to help the No. 7 Sooners beat No. 21 Oklahoma State 34-16.
-James Robinson, Illinois State, rushed for 297 yards in a 24-6 win over Southeast Missouri in a first-round FCS playoff game.
-Chason Virgil, SE Louisiana, threw for 474 yards and three TDs in a 45-44 win over Villanova in the FCS playoffs.
-Jamale Carothers, Navy, rushed for career highs of 188 yards and five TDs as the No. 24 Midshipmen beat Houston 56-41.
-Zach Smith, Tulsa, threw a career-high five TD passes in a 49-24 win over East Carolina.
-Pete Guerriero, Monmouth, ran for 220 yards and TDs as the Hawks beat Holy Cross 44-27 for the program’s first FCS playoff victory.
-Ian Book, Notre Dame, threw for 255 yards and four TDs and the No. 15 Fighting Irish reached double-digit wins for the third straight season by beating Stanford 45-24.
-Frankie Hickson, Liberty, ran for career-bests of 196 yards and four TDs to lead the Flames to a 49-28 victory over New Mexico State.
___
BUCKEYES BIG HOUSE BLOWOUT
Ohio State has turned what’s known as The Game into ITS Game, making one of the greatest rivalries in sports a one-sided series with little suspense.
Chasing a national championship, not simply beating the Wolverines, is how the Buckeyes measure a successful season.
And under first-year coach Ryan Day, they have put themselves in a position to potentially win it all for the second time since the 2014 season and third time this century.
J.K. Dobbins ran for four touchdowns and Justin Fields threw four TD passes, providing plenty of firepower for No. 2 Ohio State to rout No. 10 Michigan 56-27 for a school-record eighth straight win in the series.
The Buckeyes will head to the Big Ten championship game to face No. 13 Wisconsin next Saturday with a spot in the College Football Playoff in sight.
___
SIZZLING IRON BOWL
Auburn delivered the final blow to Alabama’s playoff chances. No surprised the Tigers did it home.
Shaun Shivers scored on an 11-yard run with 8:08 left to put No. 16 Auburn ahead and another failed field goal by Alabama in the Iron Bowl wiped away the fifth-ranked Crimson Tide’s playoff hopes in a wild 48-45 victory for the Tigers.
Auburn survived a final, marathon Crimson Tide drive when Joseph Bulovas’ 30-yard field goal attempt hit the left upright with 2:00 left.
Auburn couldn’t get a first down on JaTarvious Whitlow’s three runs while Alabama burned its final two time outs. But the Tide was called for illegal substitution after the Tigers lined up for a punt, setting off a fist-pumping celebration for coach Gus Malzahn.
Auburn fans stormed the field to celebrate another Iron Bowl thriller, filling it from end zone to end zone as they did in the 2013 Kick-Six game, when the Tigers’ returned a missed Tide field goal for a game-winning touchdown.
___
NUMBERS
3_Times No. 11 Baylor has won 11 games in a season since the program was founded in 1899, including this year.
517_Rushing yards by Kentucky in its 45-13 win over rival Louisville, a school record.
___
UTES ROLL IN PAC-12 TITLE GAME
After Utah’s lone stumble this season, at Southern California in September, quarterback Tyler Huntley called a players-only meeting.
Huntley is known for his short answers with media and he didn’t need to long to get his message across that day. He told his teammates they were a team of destiny and that loss wouldn’t define the season.
It didn’t.
No. 6 Utah clinched the Pac-12 South title and remained in the hunt for the College Football Playoff with a 45-15 victory over Colorado.
The Utes needed a quarter to get rolling in 25-degree temperatures, but romped to their eighth straight victory as Brant Kuithe scored three touchdowns. Huntley was 14-for-17 for 165 yards and connected with Kuithe twice for scores.
___
More AP college football: http://apnews.com/tag/Collegefootball and http://www.twitter.com/AP_Top25
Please read our comment policy before commenting.