Top 25 roundup Saturday’s other games

No. 1 Alabama 27, No. 15 LSU 21, OT

BATON ROUGE, La. — With a heavy police escort, Nick Saban returned to Tiger Stadium wearing crimson. He barely got out of town with Alabama still unbeaten and No. 1. After the Crimson Tide missed a chip-shot field goal on the final play of regulation, John Parker Wilson scored on a 1-yard sneak in overtime as Alabama clinched a spot in the Southeastern Conference championship game. The Tide (10-0, 6-0 SEC) has its eyes on a bigger prize, of course, and stayed on course for its first national title in 16 years. This was its toughest test yet, coming at a school Saban led to a share of the national championship in 2003. The coach is now reviled by many of the Tigers faithful, who consider him a traitor for turning up at rival Alabama just two years after he traded LSU for the NFL. He was booed loudly when he came on the field, surrounded by a contingent of state troopers that grew to a dozen by the time the game finally ended.

No. 2 Texas Tech 56, No. 8 Oklahoma State 20

LUBBOCK, Texas — So it wasn’t simply the emotion of playing No. 1 at home that brought out the best in Texas Tech last week. The Red Raiders just might be that good. Proving the No. 2 ranking and win over Texas was no fluke, Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree picked up where they left off, scoring touchdown after touchdown and turning a showdown with Oklahoma State into a rout Saturday night.

No. 4 Florida 42, Vanderbilt 14

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Florida will get its crack at No. 1 Alabama, the Gators made sure of that with lots of time to look ahead to the Southeastern Conference championship game. Tim Tebow threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more, and the Gators clinched the SEC Eastern Division title for the second time in three years.

No. 5 Texas 45, Baylor 21

AUSTIN, Texas — Colt McCoy passed for 300 yards and five touchdowns, Ryan Palmer returned an interception 22 yards for a tiebreaking score and the Longhorns beat Baylor for a much-needed rebound victory a week after their last-second loss at Texas Tech. Texas (9-1, 5-1 Big 12) scored on its first two drives before Baylor (3-7, 1-5) tied it by scoring twice in 4 minutes. The Longhorns went ahead to stay when Palmer picked off a deflected pass, pulling it off his shoulder pads, then spinning and running to the end zone.

No. 7 USC 17, No. 21 California 3

LOS ANGELES — Defense is definitely the byword for Southern California this season. It was a good thing Saturday night, because the Trojans’ offense didn’t do much. Mark Sanchez threw two touchdown passes, and USC’s defense battered California, keeping the Trojans’ national championship hopes alive.

No. 9 Boise State 49, Utah State 14

BOISE, Idaho — Kellen Moore threw for 362 yards and two scores, and two Boise State receivers threw touchdown passes and the Broncos stayed unbeaten. The Broncos (9-0, 5-0 Western Athletic Conference) rolled up 563 total yards and held the Aggies to 44 yards rushing and forced six turnovers.

No. 13 Missouri 41, Kansas State 24

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Jeremy Maclin scored three touchdowns and totaled 278 all-purpose yards, helping Missouri shake off a slow start in its home finale and grab first place in the Big 12 North. Missouri (8-2, 4-2 Big 12) took control with 17 points in the final 5:46 of the half, including a pair of touchdown passes from Chase Daniel to Maclin. Maclin had eight receptions for 118 yards and two TDs, four carries for 84 yards and a third TD on a 56-yard jaunt on a direct snap. Kansas State (4-6, 1-5) has lost five of six under lame-duck coach Ron Prince.

No. 14 Georgia 42, Kentucky 38

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Matthew Stafford threw for 376 yards and the go-ahead touchdown to A.J. Green with 1:54 remaining to lift Georgia over Kentucky. Knowshon Moreno ran for 123 yards and three scores and wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi atoned for two fumbles by hauling in a career-high eight receptions for 191 yards and a touchdown as the Bulldogs (8-2, 5-2 Southeastern Conference) survived a major scare from the Wildcats (6-4, 2-4).

No. 17 BYU 41, San Diego St. 12

PROVO, Utah — Max Hall threw three touchdown passes and Austin Collie had his eighth straight 100-yard receiving game for BYU, which set a school record with its 18th straight home win. The Cougars (9-1, 5-1) went unbeaten at home for the third straight season and stayed alive in their quest for a third straight Mountain West Conference title. BYU scored the first 27 points, then after two field goals by San Diego State, Hall found Collie for two more touchdowns early in the fourth quarter against the injury-plagued Aztecs (1-9, 0-6).

No. 19 North Carolina 28, No. 22 Georgia Tech 7

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Ryan Houston ran for a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to help North Carolina beat Georgia Tech. Cameron Sexton added two touchdown passes for the Tar Heels (7-2, 3-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), who earned a critical win in the muddled Coastal Division race and ensured their first winning season in seven years. North Carolina — among the nation’s leaders in turnover margin — also hung in defensively against the Yellow Jackets’ triple-option offense and converted a pair of fumbles into Houston’s touchdowns to break the game open. Georgia Tech (7-3, 4-3) finished with 326 yards rushing and 423 total yards, but never could sustain a scoring drive nor push deeper than the Tar Heels 23-yard line until Jonathan Dwyer’s 85-yard touchdown run — the longest rush allowed by North Carolina — with 6 minutes left.

No. 24 Florida State 41, Clemson 27

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Christian Ponder threw for a touchdown and ran for another and Antone Smith ran for two scores and the Seminoles defeated the Tigers on coach Bobby Bowden’s 79th birthday. Clemson (4-5, 2-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) had won the past three games in the series under Bowden’s son, Tommy Bowden, who was fired last month after a 3-3 start. Interim Clemson coach Dabo Swinney is 1-2 since taking over.

Associated Press