College football roundup Saturday’s games

No. 1 Clemson 38, No. 7 Miami 3

CHARLOTTE, N.C.

Clemson emphatically claimed its spot in the College Football Playoff with a victory over Miami in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game. The Tigers (12-1) came in ranked atop the CFP and should remain that way following today’s final poll after their decisive show left little doubt the defending national champs are looking to go back-to-back. Kelly Bryant set a championship game record — and surpassed his friend and former teammate Deshaun Watson’s mark of 13 — by completing his first 15 passes and finished with 252 yards passing and a 27-yard TD pass to Deon Cain on the way to Clemson’s third straight ACC crown.

Toledo 45, Akron 28

DETROIT

Logan Woodside threw four touchdown passes and Terry Swanson rushed for 180 yards and two scores as Toledo defeated Akron in the Mid-American Conference championship game at Ford Field. Receivers Diontae Johnson (118 yards) and Jon’Vea Johnson (103) combined for 221 yards and three touchdowns for Toledo (11-2), which won its third conference championship game and first since 2004. Akron (7-6) forced five turnovers but couldn’t overcome a lopsided first half in their second loss to Toledo (11-2) this season. Woodside threw three touchdown passes in the first half, two to Diontae Johnson, as the Rockets took a 28-0 lead.

No. 12 UCF 62, No. 16 Memphis 55, 2 OT

ORLANDO, FLA.

The 12th-ranked Knights captured the American Athletic Conference championship as they defeated No. 16 Memphis in double overtime. It is the Knights’ third AAC crown in the past five years. McKenzie Milton threw for 494 yards (28 of 40) and five touchdowns as he was named the game’s most outstanding player. Milton also rushed for 64 yards and a touchdown. Otis Anderson rushed for 117 yards on 16 carries. Memphis’ Riley Ferguson was 30 of 42 for 471 yards and four touchdowns. Miller had 14 receptions for 195 yards and three touchdowns.

Florida Atlantic 41, North Texas 17

BOCA RATON, FLA.

Lane Kiffin’s first season at Florida Atlantic brought the school’s first Conference USA championship, as the Owls defeated North Texas for the league title. Devin Singletary had 26 carries for 164 yards and three touchdowns for the Owls, who extended their unbeaten streak to nine games and were undefeated against C-USA opponents this season. Jason Driskel completed 15 of 27 passes for 269 yards and a touchdown for FAU, and Kalib Woods had a school-record 208 receiving yards. Mason Fine completed 24 of 39 passes for 304 yards for the Mean Green (9-4), whose five-game winning streak was snapped.

Appalachian State 63, Louisiana-Lafayette 14

BOONE, N.C.

Taylor Lamb passed for four touchdowns and ran for another to help Appalachian State wrap up a share of the Sun Belt Conference title with a win over Louisiana-Lafayette. Lamb finished with 242 yards passing and 87 yards rushing. Thomas Hennigan caught all four TD passes for the Mountaineers (8-4, 7-1) and had five catches for 99 yards altogether. Appalachian State will finish the season tied atop the conference standings with Saturday’s Arkansas State-Troy winner. Daetrich Harrington ran for 118 yards and a touchdown, and Jalin Moore ran for 110 yards and two scores for the Mountaineers. Jordan Davis had 105 yards passing and 78 yards rushing for the Ragin’ Cajuns.

Grambling 40, Alcorn State 32

HOUSTON

Devante Kincade threw two touchdown passes and ran for two more scores, and Grambling held off Alcorn State en route to its second straight Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship. It was the third consecutive meeting between the teams in the title game. Alcorn State (7-5) won it in 2015, and Grambling (11-1) rallied for a 27-20 victory in the 2016 championship. Grambling has won 11 straight games since losing its opener, 43-14 against Tulane, and is 8-2 in the SWAC title games.

New Mexico State 22, South Alabama 17

LAS CRUCES, N.M.

Tyler Rogers passed for 451 yards and led a drive that brought New Mexico State back into the lead in the final minute for a win over South Alabama that made the Aggies eligible for their first bowl since 1960. More than likely, the Aggies (6-6, 4-4) will play in the Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl in Tucson, Arizona, on Dec. 29. NMSU chancellor and president Garrey Carruthers indicated on Nov. 16 that it was possibly the only Sun Belt bowl bid the athletic department could afford to accept and the Arizona Bowl executive director Alan Young told the Las Cruces Sun-News he would be happy to host them .

Florida State 42, ULM 10

TALLAHASSEE, FLA.

Cam Akers and Jacques Patrick each ran for two touchdowns as Florida State won its third straight game to secure a bowl bid with a win over ULM. Patrick ran for 155 yards and Akers added 117 yards as the Seminoles (6-6) accumulated 305 rushing yards. It’s the first time this season FSU had a pair of 100-yard rushers in the same game and helped overcome the distractions of Friday when coach Jimbo Fischer bolted for Texas A&M and Odell Haggins was named interim coach. James Blackman completed 14 of 22 passes for 197 yards, including a 14-yard TD pass to D.J. Matthews. Blackman also had a pair of interceptions. FSU is now bowl-eligible after picking up a win over ULM in a game that was postponed from Sept. 9 due to Hurricane Irma. The Seminoles have extended their streak of bowl appearances to 36 seasons.

Associated Press