With the college football regular season coming to a close, Saturday's action cleared up the college football playoff picture heading into the final week of action.
Duke downs Wake Forest to finish with winning-record
The Blue Devils snapped a four-game losing streak with a 27-21 victory against the Demon Deacons in the teams' regular-season finale. Quarterback Thomas Sirk threw a pair of touchdown passes to wide receiver Max McCaffrey and helped Duke jump out to a 24-7 lead. Although Wake Forest rallied in the fourth quarter to make the game close, the Blue Devil special teams made a stop on the final play of the game to secure the victory. Sirk finished 26-of-39 for 275 yards and led the team to its third consecutive winning season.
Michigan State awaits Iowa in Big Ten Championship game
Needing just a win to clinch the East division and a ticket to Indianapolis, the Spartans routed Penn State 55-16 behind three touchdowns passes from senior quarterback Connor Cook. Despite only holding an 18-yard advantage in total yards, Michigan State capitalized on four turnovers by the Nittany Lions and outscored their opponent 35-6 in the second half. With the win, the Spartans checked in at No. 5 in this week's poll. Michigan State will face No. 4 Iowa next week for a spot in the college football playoff on the line.
Earlier in the day, Ohio State rebounded from its first loss of the season with a dominant victory against rival Michigan. Running back Ezekiel Elliot—who was critical of his coach's play-calling a week ago—finished the game with 214 yards and two touchdowns. Although Ohio State moved up in the poll to No. 6 with the win, the Buckeyes will likely be left out of the playoff without having won a conference title.
Stanford stuns Notre Dame on last-second field goal
With their playoff hopes hanging in the balance, the Fighting Irish gave up a 27-yard completion to wide receiver Devon Cajuste, giving the Cardinal the chance to kick a game-winning field goal. Two plays later, kicker Conrad Ukropina's attempt from 45 yards out split the uprights and dealt the final blow in a crushing 38-36 defeat for Notre Dame. Fighting Irish quarterback DeShone Kizer scored a touchdown through the air and on the ground, but it was not enough for Notre Dame who finished the season with two losses by two-points. No. 7 Stanford will now prepare for the Pac-12 Championship game next week against Southern California.
Oklahoma trounces Oklahoma State in Bedlam
With the Big 12 title on the line, the Sooners ran wild against their in-state rival in the annual Bedlam game and came away with a 58-23 victory. Led by the duo of Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon in the backfield, as well as quarterback Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma racked up 344 yards and five touchdowns on the ground and scored 30 points in the second quarter to break the game open. Oklahoma was ranked No. 3 in this week's AP Poll and has more than likely secured a spot in the college football playoff.
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