TOP 25 ROUNDUP \ Saturday’s games

November 30, 2008 at 12:00a.m.

No. 1 Alabama 36, Auburn 0

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Already No. 1 in the nation, Alabama emphatically reclaimed the top spot in the state. Glen Coffee rushed for 144 yards and a touchdown and Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide snapped a six-year Iron Bowl losing streak with the biggest margin in the series in 46 years. The dominant win set the stage for Alabama (12-0, 8-0 Southeastern Conference) to face No. 2 Florida in the league championship game with a berth in the BCS national title game on the line. Of more immediate concern for Tide fans, the state belongs to them again. And there was little question of that by the middle of the third quarter when a 10-0 game turned ugly — or beautiful, depending on the perspective. The loss left Auburn (5-7, 2-6) shut out of a bowl game for the first time in nine years and cast another shadow on the decade-long tenure of coach Tommy Tuberville. Auburn, which had been 7-2 under Tuberville in the rivalry, has lost six of the last seven games after starting the season ranked in the top 10.

No. 2 Florida 45, No. 23 Florida State 15

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Tim Tebow threw three touchdown passes, and ran for 80 yards and another score. Florida (11-1) extended its winning streak to eight games, continued its dominance in the intrastate rivalry and set up a 1-2 showdown with Alabama in next week’s Southeastern Conference title game. The Gators have won five in a row against Bobby Bowden’s team, and this one was nearly as big a laugher as last season’s 45-12 victory in Gainesville. Florida scored on five of its first seven possessions, held the Seminoles (8-4) without a touchdown for the first 2 1/2 quarters and again proved that the gap between the two programs is as wide as ever.

No. 7 Texas Tech 35, Baylor 28

LUBBOCK, Texas — Graham Harrell capped a 21-point rally for Texas Tech with a touchdown pass midway through the fourth quarter and the Red Raiders kept their hopes for a Big 12 South title alive. Texas Tech (11-1, 7-1) won 11 games in a season for the third time in the program’s 84 years.

Kansas 40, No. 12 Missouri 37

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Todd Reesing threw a touchdown pass to Kerry Meier with 27 seconds left. The Tigers will still play for the Big 12 title, but they’ll do so coming off a hard-fought loss to their border rivals. The Jayhawks (7-5, 4-4 Big 12) led by 16 early in the third quarter, let Missouri (9-3, 5-3) back in it, then traded touchdowns with the Tigers in the fourth quarter before Reesing hit Meier. Reesing finished 37-for-51 for 375 yards with two interceptions, throwing two touchdown passes to Meier and one each to Dezmon Briscoe and Dexton Fields. Missouri’s Chase Daniel had 391 total yards and threw for four touchdowns, but also had two interceptions, a fumble and was sacked for a safety in the second quarter. Jermey Maclin had nine catches for 123 yards and a touchdown, and tight end Chase Coffman caught two touchdown passes for the Tigers.

No. 18 Georgia Tech 45, No. 13 Georgia 42

ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia Tech had not beaten Georgia since 2000, and it wasn’t looking good when the Yellow Jackets trailed by 16 points at halftime. Then Roddy Jones and the triple-option offense went to work. Jones rushed a career-best 214 yards, including a decisive 54-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, and Georgia Tech rallied to snap a seven-game losing streak against its state rival. The cold, rainy day wasn’t a total victory for the visiting team: Virginia Tech denied the Yellow Jackets a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game with a 17-14 victory over Virginia. But Georgia Tech (9-3) celebrated anyway, gathering in front of its small contingent at Sanford Stadium to sing the school fight song while the red-clad Georgia fans headed to the exits, a season that started at No. 1 winding down far short of expectations. After building a 28-12 halftime lead, the Bulldogs (9-3) simply had no answer for Georgia Tech’s unique offense, which piled up 409 yards on the ground. Jones, a redshirt freshman, averaged 16.5 yards per carry and scored twice, including the long run that gave Georgia Tech a 45-35 lead with 7:13 remaining.

No. 16 Cincinnati 30, Syracuse 10

CINCINNATI — With the Big East championship already in hand, Cincinnati turned its final home game into a ho-hum win that matched a school record. Tony Pike threw a pair of touchdown passes, and the Bearcats’ senior-laden defense had its way Saturday in the Orange’s final game under coach Greg Robinson. The Bearcats (10-2, 6-1) are headed to a BCS bowl — likely the Orange or Sugar — for the first time in their history. They clinched the spot when West Virginia lost at Pitt on Friday, taking the drama out of the last home game a day later. The Bearcats tied the school record with their 10th win, the second straight season they’ve reached the mark. Cincinnati has a game left in Hawaii before heading to its bowl. The Orange (3-9, 1-6) are headed for an offseason of change.

No. 20 Boston College 28, Maryland 21

BOSTON — Billy Flutie, the Boston College backup quarterback and nephew of Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie, threw for a 9-yard touchdown on a fake field goal Saturday to lead the 20th-ranked Eagles to a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship.

Associated Press