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Week 7 College Football Schedule, Streams, TV Channels: Oct. 13

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MIAMI, FL — Complete College football Week 7 schedule, live stream, television channels, ranked vs. ranked games and game times for Saturday, October 13.

Another busy and exciting day is on the card, but all neutral eyes, understandably, will be at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, where No. 2 Georgia takes on fellow SEC rival No. 13 LSU in one of three ranked vs. ranked clashes this week.

The Bulldogs (5-0) enter this contest undefeated after five games, while the Tigers (5-1) are coming off a disappointing 27-19 defeat at Florida last week.

LSU v Georgia college football
LSU Tigers v Georgia Bulldogs college football

Georgia is off to a very strong start, but LSU, despite losing in its last outing has a very impressive season resume coming into this contest and is expected to be a challenge at home for the travelers.

Ranked at No. 2 this season, the Bulldogs can prove that they are deservingly ranked so high with a win, while the Tigers can restore itself in the SEC title race with a victory.

Game time for this one is set for 3:30 pm ET with CBS proving the live television coverage.

The other two matchups involving ranked vs. ranked programs will see No. 7 Washington visiting No. 17 Oregon in a key PAC-12 contest, while No. 15 Wisconsin is at No. 12 Michigan in a vital Big Ten battle.

In the PAC-12, the Ducks are hoping to get the better of the favored Huskies and make another statement after missing out against Stanford, while Washington is seeking its sixth successive win this season after losing the opener to Auburn.

When Michigan and Wisconsin go head-to-head at Michigan Stadium in
Ann Arbor, both teams will know that the loser will more than likely be out of the College Football Playoff race.

Mike Weber of Ohio State
Junior running back Mike Weber of Ohio State

Elsewhere on college football Week 7 schedule, No. 1 and defending champion Alabama will take on Missouri at home in a live game starting at 7:00 pm on ESPN and streaming on WatchESPN.

No. 3 Ohio State faces Minnesota, No. 14 Florida goes to Vanderbilt hoping to build on last week’s win over LSU, Pittsburgh is expected to have a difficult time at No. 5 Notre Dame, while No. 8 Penn State hosts Michigan State.

In notable games involving other Florida teams, No. 10 UCF is at Memphis and No. 16 Miami (FL) travels to Virginia.

College football Week 7 schedule
Saturday, October 13
Matchup Time (ET) TV

Minnesota at No. 3 Ohio State 12:00 pm FS1 | FoxSportsGo.com
No. 14 Florida at Vanderbilt 12:00 pm ESPN | WatchESPN
No. 25 Oklahoma State at Kansas State 12:00 pm ESPNU | WatchESPN
Tennessee at No. 21 Auburn 12:00 pm SECN | WatchESPN
Iowa at Indiana 12:00 pm ESPN2 | WatchESPN
Nebraska at Northwestern 12:00 pm ABC
Toledo at Eastern Michigan 12:00 pm ESPN+
Akron at Buffalo 12:00 pm CBSSN
Rutgers at Maryland 12:00 pm BTN
Duke at Georgia Tech 12:20 pm Raycom Sports
Louisville at Boston College 12:30 pm RSN/ESPN3
UAB at Rice 1:00 pm ESPN+
Southern Miss at North Texas 2:00 pm ESPN3
Troy at Liberty 2:00 pm ESPN3
Pittsburgh at No. 5 Notre Dame 2:30 pm NBC
Kent State at Miami (Ohio) 2:30 pm ESPN+
Ball State at Central Michigan 3:00 pm ESPN3
Western Michigan at Bowling Green 3:00 pm ESPN+
No. 2 Georgia at No. 13 LSU 3:30 pm CBS SEC on CBS | Live Stats 
No. 7 Washington at No. 17 Oregon 3:30 pm ABC | ESPN2 | WatchESPN
Michigan State at No. 8 Penn State 3:30 BTN
Baylor at No. 9 Texas 3:30 pm ESPN | WatchESPN
No. 10 UCF at Memphis 3:30pm ABC | ESPN2 | WatchESPN
No/ 22 Texas A&M at South Carolina 3:30pm SECN | WatchESPN
Army at San Jose State 3:30 pm ESPNU | WatchESPN0pm
Purdue at Illinois 3:30 pm FS1 | FoxSportsGo.com
Marshall at Old Dominion 3:30 pm
Ohio at NIU 3:30 pm ESPN+
Temple at Navy 3:30 pm CBSSN
WKU at Charlotte 3:30 pm ESPN+
New Mexico at Colorado State 4:00 pm ATTSN
UNLV at Utah State 4:00 pm Facebook Live Streaming
Alabama State at South Alabama 5:00 pm ESPN3
New Mexico State at Louisiana 5:00 pm ESPN+
ULM at Coastal Carolina 6:00 pm ESPN+
Missouri at No. 1 Alabama 7:00 pm ESPN | WatchESPN
No. 6 West Virginia at Iowa State 7:00 pm FS1 | FoxSportsGo.com
No. 16 Miami (FL) at Virginia 7:00 pm ESPN2 | WatchESPN
No. 24 Virginia Tech at North Carolina 7:00 pm ESPNU | WatchESPN
Houston at East Carolina 7:00 pm CBSSN
UCLA at California 7:00 pm Pac-12N
LA Tech at UTSA 7:00 pm ESPN+
Middle Tennessee at FIU 7:30 pm beIN SPORTS
No. 15 Wisconsin at No. 12 Michigan 7:30 pm ABC | WatchESPN
Ole Miss at Arkansas 7:30 pm SECN | WatchESPN
Hawaii at BYU 10:15 pm ESPN2 | WatchESPN
No. 19 Colorado at USC 10:30pm FS1 | FoxSportsGo.com
Boise State at Nevada 10:30 pm CBSSN
Wyoming at Fresno State 10:30 pm ESPNU | WatchESPN

Stream Live Coverage No. 19 Florida State v No. 20 Virginia Tech

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Week 1 fixtures in the new college football season will conclude on Monday with when No. 19 Florida State plays host to No. 20 Virginia Tech at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, FL. Straeming: WatchESPN | TUNEIN | LIVE STATS

The live nationally broadcast will begin at 8:00 pm ET on ESPN, with WatchESPN providing the live online streaming coverage.

College Football AP Top 25 Scores And Highlights: Week 1 Sept. 1

Florida State begins its new era under the guidance of new head coach Willie Taggart and the Seminoles will be hoping for a fruitful start to the campaign.

With the bulk of the Week 1 games already done-and-dusted, all the focus will be on Monday night’s Labor Day encounter and Taggart reminded his players.

“I told our guys, everybody will be watching us. It’s Labor Day,” he said over the weekend. “There’s nothing else going on.

“All your life, you grow up watching ‘Monday Night Football,’ and now our guys get to play.”

Virginia Tech enters this season with cause for concern and will also be seeking to refocus, following a very distracting offseason.

The Hokies dismissed two defensive starters from the team, and another player suffered a season-ending injury.

This was a team that was already without three starters from last season’s defense after they declared early for the NFL draft.

Haskins, Weber Star, No. 5 Ohio State Routs Beavers, 77-31

Co-defensive coordinator Galen Scott also resigned after an off-field issue.

“It will be an incredible challenge for a young football team,” said Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuente, who is entering the third year in charge.

“we will have all we can handle and more in a hostile environment early in the season but we are going to jump in the deep end with both feet and see how it goes.

“See how they will respond.”

Taggart knows that his Florida State team will start as a slight favorite at home, but he’s expecting a tough game against Virginia Tech.

“(Fuente) is a winner,” Taggart said earlier this week. “When you watch his team play, they are very well-coached and they play hard and they play tough and you’ve got to come ready to play.”

Freshman James Blackman To Start For Florida State vs UL Monroe

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MIAMI, FL, Sporting Alert — True freshman James Blackman will replace injured Deondre Francois at quarterback when Florida State takes on Louisiana-Monroe this coming weekend.

Francois suffered a season ending knee injury when he was brought down in the fourth quarter during the Seminoles’ 24-7 loss to No. 1 Alabama at Atlanta’s new $1.5 billion Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday night.

The sophomore will be out for the rest of season after he suffered a patellar tendon injury in his left knee and head coach Jimbo Fisher said Monday that his quarterback is scheduled for surgery Tuesday.

Francois, who threw for 210 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in the defeat to the Crimson Tide, is set to be out for four to seven months.

He was taken to a medical tent on FSU’s sideline and appeared later with a heavy brace on his left leg and was using crutches.

Fisher said Francois, who was in the Heisman conversation is feeling “down for himself and his teammates” is very sadden about not be able to feature on the field for the rest of the season.

“He’s very disappointed,” Fisher told reporters on Monday. “Not only does he want to play, he wants to be with his teammates.”

With Francois down and out this term, the Seminoles will be in a hurry to prepare the next man and Fisher revealed that the 6-5 and 185 lbs QB from Belle Glade, Florida, who replaced Francois on Saturday, will start the next game.

Blackman, a three-star recruit, gets the nod over four-star Bailey Hockman, who was ranked No. 180 in the ESPN 300 and another backup quarterback, J.J. Cosentino, who attempted nine passes last season.

Despite the injury, Francois will continue to be around the squad offering his support, especially to Blackman, something Fisher said will be very important.

“It’ll help (James Blackman) having Francois in learning the process of how you prepare” as a QB,” the coach added.

After hosting UL Monroe in Tallahassee this coming weekend, the Seminoles will entertain No. 18 Miami the following week and are expected to be well tested in this one.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge,” Fisher said.

No. 1 Alabama Dominating Defense Stifles No. 3 Florida State In 24-7 Win

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ATLANTA, GA, Sporting Alert — No. 1 Alabama defeated No. 3 Florida State 24-7 in a college football AP Top 3 clash in Atlanta on Saturday.

Modelled as one of the most high-profile season openers in college football history, both teams went for the victory from the get go, but also played solid defense to limit one-another on offense.

The was the first battle in history between two teams in the top three of The Associated Press preseason rankings.

Florida State responded to an early Alabama field goal with a touchdown after Auden Tate pulled down a 3-yard pass from Deondre Francois early in the second quarter.

But the Crimson Tide answered back when Jalen Hurts found Calvin Ridley on a 53-yard pass and Nick Saban’s side went into the halftime interval with a close 10-7 lead.

After the break, Alabama defense returned with a dominating performance to keep Florida State off the scoresheet in the final two quarters of the contest.

During that time, the nation’s No. 1 ranked outfits also scored 11 points in 13-seconds to seal an impressive 14 points victory against a very solid Florida State team.

With the latest success, Saban remained undefeated in season opener, improving to 11-0, while Seminoles’ head coach fell to 7-1 in season opening games after going seven-straight without a defeat.

Meanwhile, Saban, labeled as “The Master” among his pairs, also improved to 11-0 against his former assistant coaches, but it was the first over Fisher, who worked with his colleague during their spell at LSU.

Hurst completed 10 of 18 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown and ran for another 55 yards for Alabama.

Damien Harris ran for 73 yards on 9 carries and a touchdown and also blocked a punt, while Ridley took 7 catches for 82 yards in the win.

Shaun Dion Hamilton finished with eight tackles, five of which were solo.

Deondre Francois of Florida State
Deondre Francois of Florida State on the field with a injured knee

Florida State’s Deondre Francois went 19 of 33 on passes for 210 yards and a touchdown but was picked off twice by Alabama in the second half in the defeat.

Francois was forced to leave the game in the fourth quarter after he was taken down on a play and suffered a knee injury.

(6:25 – 4th) – Andy Pappanastos 33 Yd Field Goal

– Alabama 24-7 Florida State

(1:41 – 3rd) – Damien Harris 11 Yd Run (Jalen Hurts Pass to Calvin Ridley for Two-Point Conversion)

Alabama are starting to pull away from Florida State in Atlanta after scoring 11 points in 13-seconds to extend the lead to 14 points late in the third quarter.

– Alabama 21-7 Florida State

(1:54 – 3rd) Andy Pappanastos 25 yd FG GOOD

– Alabama 13-7 Florida State

The Crimson Tide have stretched their lead a little further with a Andy Pappanastos FG from 25 yards.

(11:28 – 2nd) – Calvin Ridley 53 Yd pass from Jalen Hurts (Andy Pappanastos Kick)

Ahhhhh….And just like that the Crimson Tide have retaken the lead after Jalen Hurts fires a 53 yards pass down field to find Calvin Ridley, who caught and finished in the second quarter. Alabama had trailed for 2:13.

– Alabama 10-7 Florida State

(13:41 – 2nd) – Auden Tate 3 Yd pass from Deondre Francois (Ricky Aguayo Kick)

– Alabama 3-7 Florida State

Florida State quarterback Deondre Francois found Auden Tate from 3-yards and he controlled the ball before going out of bounds and give the Noles a four point lead in the second quarter.

(4:30 – 1st) – FIELD GOAL – 9 PLAYS, 44 YARDS, 3:18

Alabama’s Andy Pappanastos 35 Yd Field Goal is Good

– Alabama 3-0 Florida State

Alabama is the first on the board in this high-profile clash after a Andy Pappanastos 35-yard FG was successfully converted. Both Alabama and Florida State quarterbacks, Jalen Hurts and Deondre Francois have looked sharp in the early goings.

Deondre Francois: Florida State v Alabama
Florida State QB Deondre Francois against Alabama

The Crimson Tide are ready to put the College Football Playoff national championship defeat to Clemson last season when they take the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the $1.5 billion replacement for the Georgia Dome, which will play host to its first ever college football game.

Live streaming coverage of this game is set for 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC, but you can also stream this contest live on the WatchESPN App and also at WatchESPN.com.

 

This will be the first time two teams ranked in the Top 3 will open the season against one another since the AP preseason poll started in 1950 and Alabama comes into the game as a 59 percent chance to beat the Seminoles.

As for the coaches, Alabama’s Nick Saban is 10-0 in his season openers and is also 10-0 all-time against his former assistant coaches.

Meanwhile, Florida State’s Jimbo Fisher has a 7-0 record in season openers and he’s confident his team is ready to shock the nation at the end of the night on Saturday.

This game, labeled as the supreme challenge in college football, will play a big part when the selection committee sits down to decide the College Football Playoff final squads.

Bowl Games Live Stream, TV Channels, Schedule: Dec. 30

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MIAMI, FL, Sporting Alert – The following is the schedule, TV channels and live streaming update for the college football bowl games on Friday, December 30, 2016.

Five bowl titles are on the table for Friday with the live coverage starting at 12:00 PM ET.

FEATURED BOWL GAME

The main attraction on the day is set to come from Hard Rock Stadium, here in Miami Gardens, Fla., where No. 6 Michigan will battle with No. 11 Florida State in the Capital One Orange Bowl.

Kick-off time for one of the most attractive non-playoff bowl games is 8:00 pm and ESPN will provide the live TV broadcast. WatchESPN will also stream the game live for those wanting to watch on streaming devices and smartphones.

The Wolverines were left disappointed at missing out on a place in the College Football Playoff semi-finals but the Big Ten outfits are still motivated to finish the season on a high.

Jim Harbaugh Big Ten football coach
Jim Harbaugh, Michigan head coach

Michigan (10-2) started the campaign strongly but defeats to Iowa and Ohio State ended its chances of claiming a Top Four spot in the CFP Rankings.

A victory on Friday night would see the Wolverines earning their first 11-win season since 2011.

Florida State (9-3), meanwhile, has won four straight and beat then-No. 15 Florida the last time out.

The Seminoles were also a bit disappointed at missing out on a College Football Playoff place, but head coach Jimbo Fisher believes it’s not all about the CFP and warned that other bowl games are just as meaningful.

“It’s not meaningless,” Fisher said of the non-playoff bowls during a news conference Thursday. “You play your tails off.

“That’s your job. That’s what you’re supposed to do. I don’t get the meaningless part either. There’s no such thing as a meaningless bowl game.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Florida State is expected to be driven home by junior running back Dalvin Cook, who has rushed for 1,620 yards and 18 touchdowns this season, as well as freshman quarterback Deondre Francois, who has completed 61 percent of his passes for 3,128 yards and 18 TDs.

Florida State: Francois AP Top 25 Scores
Florida State QB Deondre Francois and coach Jim Fisher

Wide receiver Amara Darboh will be one of the dangermen for Michigan and he enters the game catching 52 passes for a career-high 826 yards and seven touchdowns this term.

The Wolverines, who are taking part in their third Orange Bowl, has a 61.4 percent chance to win against Florida State, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index.

The Seminoles are playing for the Orange Bowl for the 10th time and are 4-5 all-tim, including a victory in their most recent appearnce in 2012.

EARLY BOWL KICKOFF

Before the featured game on Friday, though, Georgia and TCU will get the ball rolling at Noon when they lineup in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.

The matchup will take place at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tenn., with the game broadcasting live on ESPN and streaming on WatchESPN.

Elsewhere on Friday, No. 18 Stanford and North Carolina will face-off in the Hyundai Sun Bowl, live on CBS in El Paso, Texas, while No. 21 Tennessee and Nebraska will go head-to-head in the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn.

The other bowl game on Friday sees South Alabama and Air Force matching up in the Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl, starting at 5:30 pm at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Ariz.

College Football Bowl Games
Friday, Dec. 30

What: AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Who: Georgia vs. TCU
Time and Stream: 12 p.m., ESPN, WatchESPN
Where: Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tenn.

What: Hyundai Sun Bowl
Who: No. 18 Stanford vs. North Carolina
Time and Stream: 2 p.m., CBS
Where: Sun Bowl, El Paso, Texas

What: Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
Who: Nebraska vs. No. 21 Tennessee
Time and Stream: 3:30 p.m., ESPN, WatchESPN
Where: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tenn.

Watch: Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl
Who: South Alabama vs. Air Force
Time and Stream: 5:30 p.m.
Where: Arizona Stadium, Tucson, Ariz.

What: Capital One Orange Bowl
Who: No. 6 Michigan vs. No. 11 Florida State
Time and Stream: 8 p.m., ESPN, WatchESPN
Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla.

Jameis To Enter NFL Draft, Says ESPN Reports; But Others Ready To Return

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MIAMI, Fla. (Sporting Alert) — Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston is to enter the NFL Draft, ESPN is reporting on Wednesday morning.

Winston had said earlier this week that he would wait to make his decision on whether or not to enter the draft until after the College Football Playoff National Championship, but according to his father Antonor Winston, the Heisman Trophy winner from last year will be leaving the Noles.

Antonor revealed that Jameis wanted to take some time to think about his future, after reports claimed that he was “seriously considering” returning to school. And after praying about it, his father says the sophomore now believes that it is the right time to start a professional career.

It wasn’t the most settled season on and off the field again for the 21-year-old, whose numbers evidently decreased from his freshman year.

Winston, who led Florida State to the national championship last year with 4057 yards and 40 touchdown, saw his figured dipped this term to 3907 yards and 25 touchdowns.

He also threw 18 of his total interceptions during the course of this season.

In the last outing Winston and the Seminoles suffered a 59-20 defeat to Oregon and this year’s Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota in the Rose Bowl Game.

It was his first defeat as a starter at Florida State where he has an impressive career record of 26-1 as a starter with the Nobles.

His career record sees him throwing for 7,964 yards and 65 touchdowns in two seasons, which ranks him among the best in the sport for his position.

It is understood that after his success last season and his overall figures in college, Winston, after some real thinking, believes he has accomplished all that he can at the collegiate level and is ready to explore the next chapter of his life.

Meanwhile, Florida State has already put this season to bed and is now looking forward for the 2015 season, confident of making the playoff again, even if it is without their star quarterback.

“The guys that will return and be a part of this organization for more years, they’ll learn from this experience and learn from the mistakes they made,” receiver Rashad Greene told the school’s website.

“I definitely see this organization still winning games and being in position like we were (at the Rose Bowl).”

New Year’s College Football Scores: Ohio State, Oregon Marches On

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PASADENA, Calif. — No. 2 Oregon and No. 4 Ohio State will play for the College Football National Championships after winning their respective playoff semifinal games on New Year’s Day.

College Football Bowl Results on New Year’s Day

ALLSTATE SUGAR BOWL – SEMIFINAL – Box Score | ESPN ▪ Highlights | Watch Replay
No. 4 Ohio State 42 (13-1) , No. 1 Alabama 35 (12-2)

ROSE BOWL – SEMIFINAL – Box Score | ESPN ▪ Highlights | Watch Replay
No. 2 Oregon 59 (13-1) , No. 3 Florida State 20 (13-1)

GOODYEAR COTTON BOWL CLASSIC – Box Score
No. 8 Michigan State 42 (11-2) , No. 5 Baylor 41 (11-2)

BUFFALO WILD WINGS CITRUS BOWL – Box Score
No. 16 Missouri 33 (11-3) , No. 25 Minnesota 17 (8-5)

OUTBACK BOWL – Box Score
No. 18 Wisconsin 34 (11-3) , No. 19 Auburn 31 (8-5) – OT

The Ducks Blasted Home

Heisman winner Marcus Mariota recovered from a slow start to lead No. 2 Oregon to a commanding 59-20 victory over defending national champions Florida State in the first College Football Playoff semifinal on Thursday night.

After a somewhat quiet first half, a more spirited Oregon came back and outscored Florida State 41-7 in the second half as Jimbo Fisher’s team struggled to take care of the ball.

“It was a tough day out there,” coach Fisher said after his team’s defeat.

Mariota went 26 of 36 passing for 338 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, as well as rushing for another 62 yards and another score for the Ducks (13-1), who shook off being labeled as a soft team and won the Rose Bowl.

An out-of-sort Jameis Winston was 29 of 45 in passing for 348 yards and one touchdown and an interception for No. 3 Florida State, which had its 29 game winning streak snapped.

The Seminoles, who struggled to get going on offense, managed to limit the Ducks to just 18 points in the first half, but sloppy plays after the interval cost them a shot at playing for another national title.

Down 18-13 at halftime after closing out the first half action by scoring a touchdown, the defending champions carelessly turned the ball over on three successive possessions in the third quarter and the Ducks made them pay by scoring three straight touchdown to open the gap to 45-20 before the start of the fourth quarter.

Oregon’s Darren Carrington had seven catches and finished with 165 yards receiving — the 5th-most yards in Rose Bowl history.

The Ducks will now advanced to their second national title game in five years.

ALLSTATE SUGAR BOWL
Ohio State celebrates winning the ALLSTATE SUGAR BOWL: Buckeyes Photo

Ohio State Stunned Alabama

In the second semifinal, the fourth ranked Ohio State recovered from a 21-6 deficit to beat No. 1 Alabama 42-35 in the Allstate Sugar Bowl and winning head coach Urban Meyer believes the Big 10  conference proved something to everyone.

“I think the Big Ten Conference, the conference that we’re a part of, certainly showed that it is getting better,” Meyer said.

“That’s not saying that the last couple of years, maybe we weren’t, because there’s one way to silence people and that’s go out and play and I say that in we all do, we’re a bunch of good coaches and players that worked their tails off and investing in a lot of resources into these traditionally great programs.”

Ezekiel Elliott rushed for a Sugar Bowl-record 230 yards and two touchdowns for Ohio State (13-1) in the shocking victory.

Trailing by 15 points with 8:07 left in the second quarter, the Buckeyes scored back-to-back touchdowns through Elliott and Michael Thomas for their team to cut the score to 21-20 at halftime.

Elliott also helped to open up the game after he ran away from the Alabama defense for an 85 yard touchdown, which gave the Buckeyes a 42-28 lead late in the fourth quarter.

Third string quarterback Cardale Jones delivered another strong performance in only his second college start after throwing for 243 yards and a touchdown with one interception on the night. He also rushed for another 43 yards.

Alabama (12-2) quarterback Blake Sims, who was intercepted three-times, threw for 237 yards and two touchdowns, including a 6-yard scoring pass to Amari Cooper with 1:59 remaining to trim the lead, but Ohio State had already done the damage.

“We’re very disappointed in the outcome of the game,” Bama head coach Nick Saban said. “But you have to congratulate Ohio State who played a really, really good game, and we probably didn’t play our best game.

“And I take responsibility for that.”

Saban added: “But I’m very proud of this team. This team excelled all year long.”

Cooper caught the ball nine times for 71 yards and two touchdowns, while Derrick Henry and T.J. Yeldon, who returned from an injury, each scored a touchdown for the Crimson Tide.

Ohio State will now face Oregon in the College Football National Championships on Jan. 12.

Bedlam: Sooners v Cowboys College Football Top 25 – Dec. 6

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NORMAN, Okla. (Sporting Alert) — Oklahoma State will look to stop a disappointing run in recent weeks when they take on No. 20 Oklahoma in the annual Bedlam game in Norman, Okla. on Saturday.

The unranked Cowboys (5-6, 3-5 Big 12), who were beaten 49-28 at Baylor last month in the last outing, have not won since Oct. 11 at Kansas and the traveling side will be looking to halt a five-game losing skid in this game.

Oklahoma (8-3, 5-3 Big 12) won the previous two Bedlam meetings and leads the series 83-18-7.

Last season the Sooners came away with a 33-24 victory in Stillwater, while the previous year coach Bob Stoops’ team won a thrilling 51-48 contest that, for the first time, had to be decided in overtime.

Coach Stoops’ has also dominated in his 15 previous Bedlam meetings against Oklahoma State — with a record of 12-3 and has won six of the last seven game in Norman.

The veteran coach, however, revealed that he is expecting a very strong showing from the Cowboys in Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on Saturday – noting that Mike Gundy’s team, which is always unpredictable, is better than what the records are showing.

“Oklahoma State is another one of the teams that is better than their record indicates,” said Stoops ahead of the clash.

“They’re a team that with a change of quarterback last week with Mason Rudolph in there really played well I thought in what they wanted him to do.

“He had a lot of good deep balls and threw the ball and managed the game really well.

“They always do a good job with balance, run and pass. Coach (Mike) Gundy’s teams are always very good that way.

“They’re very disciplined on defense in their structure and the way they play, but we’re excited and very aware that we need to play our best to win here at home.”

Gundy, in the meantime, gave high praises to OU’s freshman running back Samaje Perine, who he expects to post some challenges to his team in Norman.

Perine heads into this year’s Bedlam game with 214 carries for 1428 yards and has 19 touchdowns.

“(Samaje Perine) is one of the best that we’ve seen,” added Gundy. “There have been a number of backs that played well as freshmen, but he certainly is a very good football player.

“He’s a tough runner and stays low and keeps his pads down. He’s run through a number of tackles and is very good with yards after contact.”

The Cowboys will hope that they can frustrate Perine and his teammates this weekend as they seek bowl eligibility.

In other action on Saturday, defending champions Florida State, who shockingly slipped to No. 4 in the College Football Playoff Rankings, despite being undefeated, will take on No. 11 Georgia Tech in the ACC Championship game in Charlotte.

The Seminoles (12-0, 8-0) carry a 28 consecutive game winning streak into the contest, including 12 already this season, still the college football selection committee doesn’t think that’s enough for them to be safe.

At least, that’s what the latest CFP rankings release is apparently showing.

Nevertheless, despite the rankings, Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson still rates the defending champions highly.

“I see a really good football team that knows how to win,” Johnson was quoted as saying. “Winning is hard.

“They’ve won 28 consecutive games. That’s really hard to believe in this day and age.

“They’ve got a bunch of guys that are good athletes, they are very well-coached and they know how to win.

“They haven’t blown as many people out as maybe a year ago, but they’ve still got a really fine football team. Make no mistake about that.”

No. 1 Alabama will take on No. 16 Missouri in the SEC Championship game, while No. 5 Ohio State, who will be without their two first choice quarterbacks, still hope for a playoff place, and they will take on No. 13 Wisconsin.

No. 3 TCU, who leapfrog Florida State in the latest CFP poll, play hosts to Iowa State on ESPN 3 and ABC, while No. 6 Baylor take on a very tough No. 9 Kansas State team.

College Football Top 25 Games and Schedule

12:00 PM Iowa State at No. 3 TCU ABC ESPN 3
3:30 PM Oklahoma State at No. 20 Oklahoma FOX Sports 1
4:00 PM No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 16 Missouri CBS
7:45 PM No. 9 Kansas State at No. 6 Baylor ESPN
8:00 PM No. 4 Florida State vs. No. 11 Georgia Tech ABC ESPN 3
8:17 PM No. 13 Wisconsin vs. No. 5 Ohio State FOX
10:00 PM Fresno State at No. 22 Boise State CBS

TCU Jumped Seminoles In CFP Poll; FSU Coach Not Surprised

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DALLAS, Tex. (Sporting Alert) — Alabama stayed No. 1 in the latest College Football Playoff top 25 rankings, but Florida State dropped to No. 4, despite being the only undefeated team in the poll.

The Crimson Tide (11-1) kept its place at the top of the rankings after beating the Auburn Tigers 55-44 at home on Saturday for their seventh win in a row.

However, defending champions Florida State (12-0) were leapfrog by TCU (10-1), with the selection committee stating that the Seminoles’ performance against unranked teams in recent weeks have not been up-to-par.

This means that TCU, who hammered Texas, 48-10 last Thursday night, moved from fifth to third, and pushed Florida State to fourth, while last week’s No. 4 team Mississippi State (10-2) slipped to 10th in the CFP rankings after losing to Ole Miss at the weekend.

“I don’t worry about it,” FSU coach Jimbo Fisher told reporters Tuesday after the poll came out. “We go play Georgia Tech.

“We take care of business, we’ll be fine. I’m not surprised by anything anymore.”

Oregon (11-1) stayed at No. 2 after blasting the Oregon State Beavers 47-19 on Saturday in an impressive outing.

Besides Florida State’s slipping to No. 4, the other talking point on Tuesday night was the move of TCU at the No. 3 position over a Baylor side which has beaten them in their head-to-head battle and has the same season record.

The selection committee was heavily criticized by the media, which forced the committee chairman Jeff Long to respond.

“We’re at the point, we’re waiting for results now,” Long said. “We’re waiting for teams to complete their body of work. Again, we don’t project out.

“We’ve all seen games that have different outcomes than we expect.

“We focus on what has been accomplished to this point, and with that regard, the top four teams to this point are ranked where the committee believes they should be.”

Ohio State is ranked fifth and Baylor is at sixth and the pair could miss out on a playoff slot, with the selection committee hinting that if the current top four teams win-out the rest of their games, they will be the four vying for the national title this season.

The top 10 is rounded out by Arizona (10-2) at No. 7 — moving up four-places from last week with the win over Arizona State — Michigan State, who moved up two spots to No. 8, Kansas State, up three-placed to No. 9 and the Bulldogs.

Georgia Tech jumped from 16th to No. 11, the Rebels climbed seven spots to No. 12, while the top 15 includes Wisconsin, Georgia (down 5 places) and UCLA (down 7 spots).

Missouri, Arizona State, Clemson, Auburn and Oklahoma are ranking No. 16 through 20, respectively.

LSU and USC are back in the top 25 this week.

College Football Playoff Rankings
RKS. TEAMS. RECORDS
1 Alabama 11-1
2 Oregon 11-1
3 TCU 10-1
4 Florida State 12-0
5 Ohio State 11-1
6 Baylor 10-1
7 Arizona 10-2
8 Michigan State 10-2
9 Kansas State 9-2
10 Mississippi State 10-2
11 Georgia Tech 10-2
12 Ole Miss 9-3
13 Wisconsin 10-2
14 Georgia 9-3
15 UCLA 9-3
16 Missouri 10-2
17 Arizona State 9-3
18 Clemson 9-3
19 Auburn 8-4
20 Oklahoma 8-3
21 Louisville 9-3
22 Boise State 10-2
23 Utah 8-4
24 LSU 8-4
25 USC 8-4

ABC/ESPN2: Watch North Carolina State v Florida State

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Raleigh, NC (Sporting Alert) — Watch No. 1 Florida State take on North Carolina State on ABC, ESPN2 and the WatchESPN app from the Carter-Finley Stadium at 3:30 PM ET.

FSU Game Notes | Radio | Live Stats | Listen Live

Florida State Leaders NC State Leaders
Passing: Winston – 47-67, 626 yds, 3 tds Passing: Brissett – 83-119, 1005 yds, 10 tds
Rushing: Williams – 42 car, 177 yds, 2 tds Rushing: Thornton – 42 car, 283 yds, 5 tds
Receiving: Greene – 24 rec, 418 yds, 2 tds Receiving: Hines – 16 rec, 209 yds, 0 tds

The undefeated Seminoles welcome the return of star quarterback Jameis Winston, who is back in the starting lineup this weekend missed last Saturday’s 23-17 overtime victory over Clemson

However, a tough game awaits the visiting the FSU team, which has lost five of the last eight games at North Carolina State. The defending champions, with only three wins at this venue, will be hoping to start turning things around in this series, starting with a win on Saturday.

Reflecting on the preparations for this game, Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher said: “I was extremely pleased with the focus, the execution, offense, defense and special teams.

“I really was. I am very happy where we are at mentally right now.”

Fisher’s team face a Wolfpack program, which has won all four games this season and he is itching to see how his players will handle the matchup.

“I am anxious to see us take it to the field. We need to because it is going to be a very tough opponent,” he said.

“On the road, that is always a very tough place to play. They are 4-0 and playing well. I am anxious to see how we do this. I really am and I am very, very pleased with how this week ended up.”

NCAAF Week 4 Scores and Records on Sept. 21

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Trevor Knight of the Oklahoma Sooners: PHOTO ESPN Linked

NORMAN, Okla. (SportingAlert) — Results, scores and records from the NCAA College Football top 25 teams on Saturday (Sept. 20). There were victories for the top four ranked teams on the day.

But No. 1 Florida State and No. 2 Oregon had to battle hard to secure victories on a night where ranked teams were also hit by setbacks.

The top ranked Florida State Seminoles, playing without star quarterback Jameis Winston, who was a suspended sideline cheerleader, needed overtime to beat No. 22 Clemson 23-17 at home.

It was also a battling encounter at the Martin Stadium, in Washington, as the No. 2 ranked Oregon Ducks battled to a 38-31 win over Washington State, with Heisman Trophy contender Marcus Mariota throwing for 329 yards and five touchdowns for the winners.

“He did a great job of rattling the defense in the second half,” Oregon coach Mark Helfrich said of Mariota. “The guy is special.”

He added about his team: “A road win in this conference is hard. “We are 4-0 and we got a big win on the road. There was a ton of adversity.”

No. 3 Alabama withstood some early pressure from Florida before pulling away from the Gators to score a 42-21 win.

At the Milan Puskar Stadium, freshman running back Samaje Perine rushed for three of his four touchdowns in the second half as No. 4 Oklahoma battled past West Virginia 45-33.

The Sooners outscored the Mountaineers 21-9 in the second half.

However, there were defeats on the same day for No. 8 LSU, who went down to Mississippi State, 34-29, with Dak Prescott throwing for 268 yards and ran for another 197. He also had three scores in the win for Mississippi State.

There was also a defeat for No. 18 Missouri, who were stunned 31-27 by Indiana.

The biggest winners on the day were No. 13 Georgia 66, who kept Troy winless this season with a 66-0 win, while No. 11 Michigan State picked up a 73-14 win over Eastern Michigan and No. 19 Wisconsin hammered Bowling Green, 68 -17.

NCAAF TOP 25 SCORES AND RECORDS

(1) Florida State 23 (3-0) – (22) Clemson 17 (1-2) In Overtime
(2) Oregon 38 (4-0) – Washington State 31 (1-3)
(3) Alabama 42 (4-0) – Florida 21 (2-1)
(4) Oklahoma 45 (4-0) – West Virginia 33 (2-2)
(6) Texas A&M 58 (4-0) – SMU 6 (0-3)
Mississippi State 34 (4-0) – (8) LSU 29 (3-1)
(11) Michigan State 73 (2-1) – Eastern Michigan 14 (1-3)
(13) Georgia 66 (2-1) – Troy 0 (0-4)
(14) South Carolina 48 (3-1) – Vanderbilt 34 (1-3)
Indiana 31 (2-1) 31 – (18) Missouri 27 (3-1)
(19) Wisconsin 68 (2-1) – Bowling Green 17 (2-2)
(21) BYU 41 (4-0) – Virginia 33 (2-2)
(24) Nebraska 41 (4-0) – Miami 31 (2-2)

NCAA College Football Rankings – Florida State Stays No. 1

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NEW YORK (Sporting Alert) — Florida State remained No. 1 in the latest Associated Press’ NCAA College Football poll, released on Tuesday afternoon.

In fact, the top four teams from the previous release – Alabama, Oregon and Oklahoma, kept their respective places in the rankings.

The Florida State Seminoles collected 46 of the first place votes and 1456 points to stay as the top ranked team after a battling 37-31 victory over the Oklahoma State Cowboys in their opener last Saturday, while Alabama (1), Oregon (5) and Oklahoma (2) all recorded wins in their respective openers to stay within touching distance of the top slot.

Meanwhile, Auburn moved up one place to No. 5 in the poll, following their 45-21 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks at the weekend.

The Tigers leaped ahead of Ohio State, who despite starting the season with a win over the Navy, dropped three places to No. 8.

Georgia, who collected two first place votes, is at No. 6, Michigan State at No. 7, Texas A&M at No. 9 and Baylor at No. 10 completed the top 10 teams in the rankings.

AP Top 25 Rankings
RK TEAM RECORD PTS
1 Florida State (46) 1-0 1456
2 Alabama (1) 1-0 1317
3 Oregon (5) 1-0 1314
4 Oklahoma (2) 1-0 1283
5 Auburn 1-0 1186
6 Georgia (2) 1-0 1114
7 Michigan State 1-0 1093
8 Ohio State 1-0 982
9 Texas A&M (2) 1-0 978
10 Baylor 1-0 962
11 UCLA 1-0 944
12 LSU (1) 1-0 926
13 Stanford 1-0 886
14 USC 1-0 729
15 Ole Miss 1-0 525
16 Notre Dame 1-0 519
17 Arizona State 1-0 431
18 Wisconsin 0-1 364
19 Nebraska 1-0 352
20 Kansas State 1-0 325
21 South Carolina 0-1 196
21 North Carolina 1-0 196
23 Clemson 0-1 164
24 Missouri 1-0 147
25 Louisville 1-0 141
  • Others receiving votes: Texas 126, Oklahoma State 94, Duke 60, Florida 49, Penn State 49, Mississippi State 49, Michigan 38, TCU 29, Washington 27, BYU 21, Marshall 18, Iowa 18, Virginia Tech 17, Tennessee 14, Cincinnati 8, West Virginia 7, Texas Tech 7, Rutgers 6, Arizona 4, North Dakota State 2, Louisiana-Lafayette 1, Pittsburgh 1