Ohio State wide receiver K.J. Hill holds the trophy following the team's 34-21 win over Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship NCAA college football game, early Sunday, Dec. 8, 2019, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Conference champions crowned in college football
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The Associated Press
Ohio State wide receiver K.J. Hill holds the trophy following the team's 34-21 win over Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship NCAA college football game, early Sunday, Dec. 8, 2019, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
(Undated) — LSU wrapped up a berth in the CFP semifinals, and Joe Burrow likely clinched the Heisman Trophy.
Burrow threw for 349 yards and four touchdowns as the top-ranked Tigers rolled to a 37-10 rout of No. 4 Georgia. He was the Tigers’ second-leading rusher with 41 yards on 11 carries, and 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.
Burrow’s busiest receivers were Justin Jefferson and Terrace Marshall Jr., who combined for 204 yards and three scores. Jefferson had seven catches for 115 yards and a TD, while Marshall amassed 89 yards and two touchdowns with his five receptions.
Derek Stingley had two interceptions of Jake Fromm, who passed for 225 yards and one TD.
No. 2 Ohio State had to rally to win its third consecutive Big Ten crown and clinch a CFP berth.
The Buckeyes trailed 21-7 before Josh Fields threw all three of his touchdown passes in the second half of a 34-21 comeback against eighth-ranked Wisconsin. Fields was 19 of 31 with 299 yards and no interceptions.
J.K. Dobbins ran for 172 yards and a score for the 13-0 Buckeyes, who sealed their first playoff trip in three years and ran their winning streak to 19 games.
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.
Third-ranked Clemson quickly turned its fifth straight ACC championship game victory into a rout to solidify its spot in the CFP semifinals
Trevor Lawrence threw three of his four touchdown passes to Tee Higgins as the Tigers stormed to their 28th consecutive win, 62-17 against No. 22 Virginia. Lawrence set an ACC title-game record for touchdown throws while going 16 of 22 for 302 yards before coming out in the third quarter.
Higgins set conference championship-game records with his three touchdowns and 182 receiving yards. He was a big reason why Clemson established ACC title-game marks with 62 points and 621 yards.
Oklahoma staked its claim for a spot in the CFP semifinals by capturing the Big 12 championship game.
Rhamondre Stevenson scored on a 5-yard run in overtime to lead the sixth-ranked Sooners to a 30-23 win over No. 8 Baylor. Oklahoma secured the victory by stopping the Bears with a sack and three incompletions.
Jalen Hurts threw for 278 yards and a touchdown, with CeeDee Lamb grabbing eight passes for 173 yards.
Baylor scored the last 10 points of regulation on two long passes by freshman Jacob Zeno, including an 81-yard catch-and-run touchdown by Trestan Ebner in the fourth quarter. Zeno’s 78-yarder to Chris Platt set up John Mayers’ game-tying field goal with 3:25 left in the final quarter.
In other conference title games involving ranked teams:
Antonio Gibson caught a 6-yard touchdown pass from Brady White with 1:14 left as 16th-ranked Memphis defeated No. 21 Cincinnati, 29-24 in the American Athletic Conference championship game. Gibson ran for 130 yards, including a 65-yard TD dash to help the 12-1 Tigers win their first AAC crown in their third straight title game appearance. Memphis won it despite a poor throwing day by White, who completed just 18 of his 40 passes for 253 yards.
Jaylon Henderson threw for two touchdowns and ran for another score to lead No. 19 Boise State to a 31-10 victory over Hawaii in the Mountain West championship game. The Broncos trailed 3-0 before scoring two touchdowns in a 53-second span on a pair of 36-yard touchdown strikes by Henderson. Boise State made two defensive stands inside the 5, once in the second quarter and another early in the third.
Darrynton Evans scored three TDs and 20th-ranked Appalachian State repeated as Sun Belt Conference champions with a 45-38 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette. Zac Thomas threw for 149 yards and two touchdowns for the Mountaineers, who racked up 416 yards on offense. Daetrich Harrington and Marcus Williams added touchdown runs to help Appalachian State become the first FBS team from North Carolina to post a 12-win season.
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