Top 25 football roundup: No. 1 LSU locks up playoff spot, routing No. 4 Georgia

Joe Burrow finished off what seems like his Heisman Trophy coronation with another dazzling performance and No. 1 LSU 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 Saturday in Atlanta.

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). 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 in his arms, taking off for a 16-yard gain.

The 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.

(2) Ohio State 34, (10) Wisconsin 21: Justin Fields threw three touchdown passes in the second half, J.K. Dobbins ran for 172 yards and a score and the Buckeyes (13-0) sealed their first playoff trip in three years by shutting out the Badgers (10-3) in the second half in the Big Ten championship game in Indianapolis.

The Buckeyes claimed their third straight Big Ten title and enter the postseason with a 19-game winning streak.

Wisconsin has lost seven straight in the series, although this one didn’t follow the usual script.

The Badgers, who lost 38-7 at Ohio State in October, scored the first 14 points – Ohio State’s largest deficit of the season. Wisconsin led 21-7 at the half. But just like the first game, the Buckeyes turned it on in the third quarter.

Jeremy Ruckert started the comeback with a spectacular one-handed catch in the back of the end zone on the fifth play of the third quarter. The 16-yard pass cut the deficit to 21-14.

Four plays later, Wisconsin punter Anthony Lotti dropped the ball and was tackled at the Badgers 16. Ohio State converted that miscue into a 27-yard field goal.

(3) Clemson 62, (22) Virginia 17: Trevor Lawrence threw four touchdown passes, three to Tee Higgins, and the Tigers (13-0) beat the Cavaliers (9-4) in Charlotte, North Carolina, to win their fifth consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference title.

The defending national champion Tigers have won 28 games in a row and head to the College Football Playoff with chance for a third crown in four years.

While Virginia and quarterback Bryce Perkins put forth a game plan that caused the Tigers to sweat early on, there was no stopping Clemson’s dazzling set of experienced playmakers, led by Lawrence and Higgins, on the way to ACC championship game records for points and yards (621),

Lawrence set an ACC title-game record with his four touchdown throws and had 302 yards passing, his second best total this season, and completed 16 of 22 passes before coming out in the third quarter.

(6) Oklahoma 30, (8) Baylor 23 (OT): Rhamondre Stevenson had a 5-yard touchdown run in overtime and the Sooners (12-1) made their bid for another playoff berth with the victory over the Bears (11-2) in the Big 12 championship game in Arlington, Texas.

A day after No. 5 Utah lost in the Pac-12 championship game, and before No. 4 Georgia lost to No. 1 LSU for the SEC title, the Sooners won their fifth consecutive Big 12 title, and 13th overall. Oklahoma went to the playoff three of the past four seasons.

Baylor tied it in the fourth quarter after two long passes by freshman Jacob Zeno, the second quarterback used after starter Charlie Brewer left the game in the second quarter following a big hit he delivered on a defender.

There was an 81-yard catch-and-run touchdown by Trestan Ebner with 9:41 left in regulation and a 78-yarder to Chris Platt that set up John Mayers’ third field goal, a 27-yarder with 3:25 left to make it 23-all.

(16) Memphis 29, (21) Cincinnati 20: Antonio Gibson caught a 6-yard touchdown pass from Brady White with 1:14 left and the Tigers (12-1) beat the Bearcats (12-1) in the American Athletic Conference championship game in Memphis, Tennessee.

Memphis finally won the AAC title in its third straight conference championship game. The Tigers wait for an invitation to the Cotton Bowl as the highest-ranked Group of Five team.

Eight days after beating the Bearcats 34-24 at home in the regular-season finale, Memphis rallied for another win. Along with scoring the go-ahead touchdown, Gibson ran for 130 yards, including a 65-yard TD dash.

Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder, who did not play last week against Memphis, passed for 233 yards and ran for 113 more.

(19) Boise State 31, Hawaii 10: Jaylon Henderson threw for 212 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score to lead the Broncos (12-1) over the visiting Rainbow Warriors (9-5) in the Mountain West championship game.

Boise State won its second conference title in three years, beating Hawaii again this season after winning the Oct. 12 meeting 59-37. After rolling up 518 yards of offense in the first game, the Broncos leaned on their defense in the rematch.

The Broncos made two defensive stands inside the 5, once in the second quarter and another early in the third.

Hawaii was making its first appearance in the title game. It enjoyed some success through the air with Cole McDonald passing for 241 yards, but couldn’t overcome early problems in the red zone.

Tied at 3 late in the first half, Boise State scored two touchdowns in a 53-second span on a pair of 36-yard touchdown strikes. Henderson dropped the first one into Khalil Shakir on a streak down the near sideline with 1:07 remaining in the half.

(20) Appalachian State 45, Louisiana-Lafayette 38: Darrynton Evans scored three touchdowns and the Mountaineers (12-1) repeated as Sun Belt Conference champion with the victory over the Ragin’ Cajuns (10-3) in Boone, North Carolina.

Evans won the game’s MVP for the second straight season.

Zac Thomas threw for 149 yards and two touchdowns, and Daetrich Harrington and Marcus Williams added touchdown runs. The Mountaineers racked up 416 yards on offense, including 267 on the ground in a dominating first half.

The Mountaineers have won at least a share of four straight Sun Belt championships.

Levi Lewis threw for a Sun Belt championship game-record 354 yards and four touchdowns for Lafayette.