STARS
-Joe Burrow, LSU, threw for 349 yards and four TDs to finish off what seems like his Heisman Trophy coronation as the No. 1 Tigers locked up a spot in the College Football Playoff for the first time, dominating No. 4 Georgia 37-10 in the Southeastern Conference championship game.
-J.K. Dobbins, Ohio State, ran for 172 yards and a score and then No. 2 Buckeyes sealed their first playoff trip in three years by shutting out No. 10 Wisconsin in the second half in a 34-21 victory in the Big Ten championship game.
-Trevor Lawrence, Clemson, threw four touchdown passes, three to Tee Higgins, and the defending national champions dismantled No. 22 Virginia 62-17 for a fifth consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference title.
-Samori Toure, Montana, broke the FCS playoff single-game record with 303 receiving yards on 12 catches in the Grizzlies’ 73-28 rout of Southeast Louisiana in a second-round playoff game.
-Antonio Gibson, Memphis, caught a 6-yard TD pass from Brady White with 1:14 left and ran for 130 yards, helping the No. 16 Tigers defeat No. 21 Cincinnati 29-24 in the American Athletic Conference championship game.
-James Robinson, Illinois State, rushed for 210 yards and two TDs as the Redbirds knocked off eighth-seeded Central Arkansas 24-14 in the second round of the FCS playoffs.
-Darrynton Evans, Appalachian State, scored three TDs and the 20th-ranked Mountaineers won their fourth straight Sun Belt championship overall with a 45-38 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette.
-Tucker Rovig, Montana State, passed for 279 yards and three TDs in leading the Bobcats to a second-round FCS playoff victory over Albany 47-21.
-Ben DiNucci, James Madison, accounted for 339 yards and four TDs in a 66-21 victory over Monmouth in the second round of the FCS playoffs.
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SEC CHAMPIONSHIP
LSU is headed to the College Football Playoff for the first time, thanks to a dominating performance against Georgia.
oe Burrow finished off what seems like his Heisman Trophy coronation with another dazzling performance and No. 1 LSU locked up a spot in the CFP by dominating No. 4 Georgia 37-10 in the Southeastern Conference championship.
The Tigers, going for their first national title since 2007 season, will either return to Atlanta or head west to suburban Phoenix for a semifinal game Dec. 28. Their bowl site and opponent will be announced Sunday, but they surely made a persuasive case to be the top overall seed in the four-team field.
Burrow was all over the stat sheet for LSU (13-0, No. 2 CFP). He threw for 349 yards and four touchdowns. He was the Tigers’ second-leading rusher with 41 yards on 11 carries, often leaving the Bulldogs grasping at air as he twirled this way and that. He even caught a pass on a ball that was batted down at the line and wound up his arms, taking off for a 16-yard gain.
Tigers put up 481 yards of offense, but the most encouraging aspect of this game was another strong performance from LSU’s defense. It followed up a 50-7 rout of Texas A&M in the regular-season finale with another championship-worthy showing against the Bulldogs, who were held to 286 yards.
Georgia (11-2) appears likely to make its second straight appearance in the Sugar Bowl against Baylor, loser of the Big 12 championship game.
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BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP
Justin Fields and J.K. Dobbins spent the first half scratching their heads.
Then, Ohio State’s dynamic duo - and teammates — reverted to their previously impressive form.
Fields threw three touchdown passes in the second half, Dobbins ran for 172 yards and a score and No. 2 Ohio State sealed its first playoff trip in three years by shutting out No. 10 Wisconsin in the second half in a 34-21 victory in the Big Ten championship game.
The Buckeyes claimed an unprecedented third straight outright league title and enter the postseason with a 19-game winning streak. The College Football Playoff selection committee will announce the four playoff teams Sunday, and first-year coach Ryan Day was already lobbying for the top spot before leaving the field.
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ACC TITLE GAME
Trevor Lawrence believes No. 3 Clemson is better than it was a year ago. He and the Tigers will get the chance to prove it in the College Football Playoffs.
Lawrence threw four touchdown passes, three to Tee Higgins, and the defending national champions dismantled No. 22 Virginia 62-17 for a fifth consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference title. The Tigers won their 28th straight game and become the first program with that many wins in a row in a league title game.
Virginia showed off a game plan that caused the Tigers a few early headaches. But Clemson’s talent quickly took control on the way to an ACC championship game record for points and yards (619).
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BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP
No. 6 Oklahoma has done all it can, winning a fifth Big 12 title in a row with another close win over No. 8 Baylor.
Now the Sooners wait to see if they are going to get in back in the College Football Playoff. That is up to the selection committee, though it will be virtually impossible to keep Oklahoma from being one of those four teams after a 30-23 overtime win.
Rhamondre Stevenson had a 5-yard touchdown run in overtime, and then true freshman Jacob Zeno - whose two long passes in the fourth quarter helped tie the game - was under constant pressure when Baylor got its last chance.
A day after No. 5 Utah lost in the Pac-12 championship game, and before No. 4 Georgia fell 37-10 to No. 1 LSU in the SEC title game, Oklahoma became the first team in any league to win 10 conference championship games. It was the 13th Big 12 title overall for the Sooners, who went to the playoff three of the past four seasons.
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NUMBERS
17_Southwest Athletic Conference titles by Alcorn State after a 39-24 win over Southern.
23_Rushing TDs by Montana’s Marcus Knight to break the school record. His 25 overall TDs also are a school record.
34_Straight wins by North Dakota State after beating Nicholls 37-13 in an FCS playoff game.
47_Points scored by Montana State against Albany, a school record for a playoff game.
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