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Oklahoma Moves To No. 1 In College Basketball Top 25: Wk11

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Sporting Alert – Oklahoma, as expected, moves to No. 1 in the AP Top 25 college basketball rankings for Week 11, which was released on Monday.

The Sooners (15-1) collected all 65 first-place votes from the media panel for 1,625 points after picking up a pair of victories over Oklahoma State and West Virginia in last week’s schedule.

Those wins pushed Oklahoma to the top of the Big 12 standings as well, as the men from Norman also replaced Kansas as the nation’s top-ranked college basketball club.

Pre-season No. 1 North Carolina (16-2) climbed three places to No. 2 this week on the back of a 67-55 win over NC State last week. The Tar Heels collected 1,515 points this week.

Meanwhile, because of the craziness around the league this past weekend where no fewer than 11 top 25 ranked side stumbled, the Jayhawks (15-2) only slipped two spots to No. 3 this week.

After losing to West Virginia, Kansas rebounded to beat TCU 70-63 in the second game of its fixtures last week.

Villanova (16-2) is up two spots to No. 4, while Xavier (16-1) also leaped two placed to complete the top five.

West Virginia (15-2) which didn’t get a look in pre-season has been rewarded again for its positive form recently — jumping five slots to No. 6 this week on the back of the win over Kansas, although the Mountaineers were downed by Oklahoma in the next game.

Maryland (16-2) is down two places to No. 7, SMU (17-0) which remained the only unbeaten college basketball Divisional I side left this season, moves to No. 8, with Iowa (14-3) and Texas A&M (15-2) completing the top 10.

Overall, Baylor (14-3) were the biggest jumpers this week — moving up nine spots to No. 13, while defending champion Duke (14-4) which dropped its last two games against Clemson and Notre Dame, dipped 11 slots to No. 20.

The Blue Devils were stunned 68-63 by Clemson before going down at home, 95-91 against Notre Dame.

Kentucky (13-4) which spent two weeks as the No. 1 men’s college basketball DI team, fell nine places to No. 23 after a difficult week that ended with a 75-70 defeat to Auburn.

New to the rankings this week are USC (15-3) at No. 20 and Indiana (15-3) which cracked the top 25 at 25th.

Pittsburgh (20) and Gonzaga (25) fell out of the top 25 rankings this week.

College Basketball AP Top 25: Wk 11
RK TEAM RECORD PTS
1 Oklahoma (65)  15-1 1,625
2 North Carolina 16-2 1,515
3 Kansas 15-2 1,499
4 Villanova 16-2 1,403
5 Xavier 16-1 1,321
6 West Virginia 15-2 1,278
7 Maryland 16-2 1,259
8 SMU 17-0 1,179
9 Iowa 14-3 1,167
10 Texas A&M 15-2 994
11 Michigan State 16-3 950
12 Arizona 15-3 801
13 Virginia 13-4 649
13 Baylor 14-3 649
15 Miami (FL) 13-3 645
16 Providence 15-3 609
17 Louisville 14-3 608
18 Butler 13-4 439
19 Iowa State 13-4 411
20 Duke 14-4 375
21 USC 15-3 338
22 Purdue 15-3 322
23 Kentucky 13-4 276
24 South Carolina 16-1 252
25 Indiana 15-3 210
  • Dropped from rankings: Pittsburgh 20, Gonzaga 25
  • Others receiving votes: Pittsburgh 184, Clemson 53, Wichita St 38, Valparaiso 30, Notre Dame 14, Dayton 9, Saint Mary’s 8, Gonzaga 5, Utah 3, Hawaii 3, Arkansas-Little Rock 1, Monmouth 1, Navy 1, Oregon 1

North Carolina, Kansas Win In College Basketball Top 25 Scores: Jan. 4

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Sporting Alert – College basketball top 25 scores on Jan. 4, with North Carolina and Kansas among the winning teams on the night.

NO. 1 KANSAS, NO. 2 OKLAHOMA

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Perry Ellis grabbed a double-double of 27 points and 13 rebounds and had solid support from three other starters and No. 1 Kansas endured a career night from Buddy Hield to beat No. 2 Oklahoma 109-106 in triple-over time in a Big 12 college basketball matchup on Monday night.

Devonte’ Graham score 22 points, including the go-ahead free throw in the third overtime, to go with seven rebounds, Wayne Selden Jr. added 21 points and Frank Mason III ended with 15 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals for the Jayhawks (13-1, 2-0 Big 12), who handed Oklahoma its first defeat of the season.

Hield, who started the game very strongly, finished off with a career-high 46 points for the Sooners (12-1, 1-1), but he had two bad turnovers in the final period of the game. He made eight 3-pointers on the night, but missed a potential tying 3-point attempt at the buzzer in the third overtime.

Hield shot 13 of 23 from the floor and had eight rebounds and seven assists as well in the defeat.

Jordan Woodard made six 3-pointers and ended with 27, Ryan Spangler finished with 14 points and 18 rebounds and Khadeem Lattin chipped in with 10 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks for the Sooners.

No. 6 NORTH CAROLINA 106, FLORIDA ST. 90

TALLAHASSEE, FL, Sporting Alert – Brice Johnson collected a double-double with career-highs 34 points and 23 rebounds and Marcus Paige added 30 points, and No. 6 North Carolina defeated Florida State 106-90 in an ACC college basketball fixture on Monday night. Box Scores

Johnson, who shot 14 of 16 from the field, pulled down 16 of his total boards on the defensive end, while blocking three shots and picking up three steals for the Tar Heels (14-2, 3-0 ACC) who stayed undefeated in conference play after three outings.

Johnson now joins Blake Griffin as the only players in the last 20 seasons with at least 39 points and 23 rebounds in a game, according to ESPN Stats & Info. Kevin Durant is the other with the milestone as well.

North Carolina is 3-0 in ACC for the first time since 2008 and has won three straight for third time under coach Roy Williams (2005, 2008 and 2016).

Xavier Rathan-Mayes led Florida State with 30 points — knocking down 7 shots from 3-point range — while grabbing four rebounds and three assists.

Dwayne Bacon had 18 points and seven rebounds and Malik Beasley added 15 points and eight boards for the Seminoles (10-4, 0-2 ACC) at Donald L. Tucker Center.

North Carolina, as a team, shot 50-percent from the floor, while outrebounding Florida State 50-33.

Joel Berry II scored 12 points and four assists for North Carolina, while Paige added five rebounds and five assists to his stats in the win.

The Tar Heels will next play at Syracuse on Saturday, while the Seminoles, who have dropped two in a row, will battle No. 12 Miami (FL) on the road on Saturday as well.

College Basketball Top 25 Scores
Monday, Jan. 4

No. 1 KANSAS, No. 2 OKLAHOMA
VIRGINIA TECH 70, No. 4 VIRGINIA 68
No. 6 NORTH CAROLINA 106, FLORIDA STATE 90
No. 17 WEST VIRGINIA 95, TCU 87

College Basketball Top 25 Schedule, ESPN3 Stream: Jan. 4

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LAWRENCE, Sporting Alert – No. 2 Kansas and No. 3 Oklahoma will meet at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, in what is expected to be a thrilling college basketball Big 12 clash on Monday night. Live ESPN3/WatchESPN Streaming listings.

KANSAS v OKLAHOMA

The Journey To The Tourney BIG 12 battle will tip-off at 9:00 p.m. ET, live on ESPN and the Jayhawks (12-1) start as the 6-point favorites with the game’s total sitting at 156.

We have seen some thrilling battles this year already, but this matchup is on schedule to be the college basketball game of the year at this moment.

The Sooners (12-0) remains undefeated this season and are coming off a pressing 87-83 victory over No. 11 Iowa State on Saturday.

Oklahoma, which has knocked off two ranked teams already this year, is averaging 87 points per game and allowing 67.5.

Overall, as a team, the Sooners are shooting 48.1 percent from the field.

Leading scorer Buddy Hield, who is averaging 24.7 points per game, is ranked fourth in that listing, while shooting 49.5 percent from the field and averaging 5.3 rebounds per battles. Hield has also scored 30 or more points four times season and he will be a big threat to the Jayhawks on their own turf.

Kansas, in the meanwhile, enters this battle shooting 51.6 percent as a team, which is ranked fifth overall in the nation after their 13 games.

The men from Lawrence are also one of the best teams on offense — scoring 88.3 points per game, third best in the country, while allowing 65 points per contest on defense.

These Jayhawks have a very balanced offense, which is centered around the likes of Wayne Selden Jr., Perry Ellis, Frank Mason III and Devonte’ Graham.

In their last outing, Kansas route No. 23 Baylor 102-74 on Saturday in their Big 12 opener.

Selden Jr. and Ellis were very good in this contest and they are expected to run the floor again on Monday night.

Elsewhere on Monday, before the Kansas v Oklahoma clash, No. 7 North Carolina will take on Florida State live on ESPN at 7:00 p.m. at Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee, while No. 5 Virginia take on Virginia Tech, live on ESPN2.

College Basketball Live Streaming, TV Channels
Monday, Jan. 4
Live on WatchESPN

7:00 PM Niagara vs. Iona ESPN3
7:00 PM No. 7 North Carolina vs. Florida State ESPN
7:00 PM No. 19 West Virginia vs. TCU ESPN2
7:00 PM Canisius vs. Monmouth ESPN3
7:00 PM Youngstown State vs. Oakland ESPN3
7:00 PM Siena vs. Manhattan ESPN3
7:30 PM Cleveland State vs. Detroit ESPN3
8:00 PM Northern Kentucky vs. Milwaukee ESPN3
8:00 PM Wright State vs. Green Bay ESPN3
9:00 PM No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 2 Kansas ESPN
9:00 PM No. 5 Virginia vs. Virginia Tech ESPN2

College Football New Year’s Eve Scores, Box Scores: Dec. 31

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MIAMI GARDENS, FL — Scores and recaps from the college football bowl games played on New Year’s Eve on Thursday. Alabama and Clemson landed college football playoffs semifinal wins.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF SEMIFINAL – Box Score
NO. 2 ALABAMA 38, NO. 3 MICHIGAN STATE 0

MIAMI GARDENS, FL — Jake Coker delivered a career-best performance to lead No. 2 Alabama to a dominating 38-0 victory over Michigan State to advance to the College Football national championship game.

Entering the matchup, Coker was well aware that he would need to play a vital part at the quarterback position and throw the ball more, and that he did — completing 25 of 30 passes for a career-high 286 yards and two touchdowns.

With the victory, the Crimson Tide (13-1) will now meet the undefeated No. 1 Clemson (14-0) in Arizona on Jan. 11 — hunting its fourth national title in nine seasons under the guidance of head coach Nick Saban.

Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry had a quiet night by his standard, but was still effective — rushing 20 times for 75 yards and two touchdowns.

Calvin Ridley caught eight passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns and Cyrus Jones returned a punt 57 yards for a score in the win for Alabama, which used its solid defense to suffocate Michigan State en route to securing the Cotton Bowl college football playoff semifinal.

Connor Cook threw for 210 yards, but was sacked four times in the defeat for Michigan State which finished with just 29 rushing yards.

The Spartans (12-2) went into the contest averaging over 160 yards rushing per contest.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF SEMIFINAL – Box Score
NO. 1 CLEMSON 37, NO. 4 OKLAHOMA 17

No. 1 Clemson outscored No. 4 Oklahoma 21-0 in the second half en route to a commanding 37-17 victory in the Capital One Orange Bowl win and earned a place in the college football national championship.

The ACC champions were advancing to its second-ever national championships.

“It’s been 34 years since Clemson had a chance to win a national championship,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said.

“I knew that we would be here. It was just a matter of when.”

Quarterback Deshaun Watson accounted for 332 yards and two touchdowns and Wayne Gallman ran for 150 yards and two scores to set a new Clemson record for rush yards in a single season as the top-ranked Tigers (14-0) remained undefeated this term.

The Sooners (11-2) who entered the matchup as the favorite, were unable to get their running game going, as Clemson came in with a plan and stuck to it throughout the entire battle, despite trailing 17-16 at halftime.

Baker Mayfield went 26 of 41 on completed passes for 311 yards and one touchdown, but threw two interceptions and was sacked five times by the Tigers defense.

Watson completed 16 of 31 passes for 187 yards, including a 35-yard touchdown strike to Hunter Renfrow, while for 145 yards on 24 carries.

Dating back to last year, Clemson has now won 17 straight games.

College Football Bowl Games Scores
New Year’s Eve 2015

ORANGE BOWL – COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF SEMIFINAL
NO. 1 CLEMSON 37, NO. 4 OKLAHOMA 17

COTTON BOWL – COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF SEMIFINAL
NO. 2 ALABAMA 38, NO. 3 MICHIGAN STATE 0

PEACH BOWL
NO. 14 HOUSTON 38, NO. 9 FLORIDA STATE 24

FINAL: No.1 Clemson Beats Oklahoma 37-17 In Orange Bowl

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  • FINAL SCORE: NO. 1 CLEMSON 37, NO. 4 OKLAHOMA 17

MIAMI, FL, Sporting Alert – Wayne Gallman ran for 150 yards and two touchdowns and Deshaun Watson ran for 145 yards and a score and passed for another touchdown to lead No. 1 Clemson to a 37-17 victory over No. 4 Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff semifinal matchup at the Capital One Orange Bowl. Box Score

Trailing 17-16 at halftime, the Tigers (14-0) roared back to outscore the Sooners 21-0 in the second half to pick up the win and advanced to the College Football Playoff national championship.

The ACC champions were advancing to their second-ever national championship.

Watson was 16 of 31 on completed passes for 187 yards and was intercepted one time. He accounted for 332 yards in the pass/rush combo.

“Our team has shown hearts and guts all year long,” said Clemson coach Dabo Swinney. “I told them (the team), ‘You ain’t favored to win the damn game, but we ain’t no underdog.'”

ESPN’s Skip Bayless, who revealed earlier this year that he doesn’t trust Sooners coach Bob Stoops in championship games, had more words to say on his official Twitter account.

Bob Stoops, worst big-game motivator in college football, sent out a defense tonight that wasn’t ready to match Clemson’s intensity. Bob Stoops: Great recruiter, lifeless motivator. Not a dab of Dabo in him. Unrecruited Baker Mayfield motivated/saved this team.

Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield completed 26 of 41 passes for 311 yards and a touchdown, but was intercepted twice.

Samaje Perine ran for a score and 58 yards, while Mark Andrews took a catch for a touchdown and Sterling Shepard caught the ball seven times for 87 yards for the Sooners (11-2) who came into the game as the favorites to win the match.

“As I said before this game, I was mystified how Oklahoma was favored,” Bayless said.

He also added that the Sooners needed to make a change.

He wrote: “I’ve said this for 2 years and I’ll say it again: Stoops and OU both need fresh starts – OU with another coach, Stoops with another job.”

Clemson was able to shut down the Oklahoma running game, while out-rushing the Sooners 312-67 on the night. The men from Norman were suffering consecutive bowl losses by 20 points or more for the first time in program history.

They were also hammered by 34 points in the Russell Athletic Bowl last season by Clemson as well.

The Tigers, who remain the only undefeated FBS team this season, have now won 14 straight games and 17 successive, dating back to last year.

The College Football Playoff championship game will be in Arizona, on January 11.

NOTES ESPN STATS AND INFO:

  • Clemson has won its last two bowl games by 54 combined points, and according to ESPN Stats & Info, this is the largest margin in consecutive bowl games in program history.
  • Clemson is the 6th team to start 14-0 since major classification began in 1937. No team has seen a 15-0 record next to its name since Penn in 1897.
  • Both of Oklahoma’s losses have come by 17 points this year. Loss to Texas in October.

Clemson 37 v Oklahoma 17: Watch Live GameCast Dec. 31

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MIAMI, FL, Sporting Alert – Clemson enters its New Year’s Eve College Football Playoffs semifinal clash with No. 4 Oklahoma as the underdog, despite being the No. 1 ranked team in the country.

Who – No. 1 Clemson vs. No. 4 Oklahoma –
What – Capital One Orange Bowl
When – Thursday – Dec. 31, 2015 – 4 p.m.
Where – Sun Life Stadium – Miami Gardens, Fla.
TV –  ESPN

The Tigers (13-0) is the only undefeated team in the FBS this season, and will go in search of their 14th straight win for the term, but the oddsmakers are backing the Sooners (11-1) to win by 4-points.

“Let’s finish 2015 positive. It’s been a good year for us and we are hoping to keep it going with another win,” said Clemson coach Dabo Swinney.

The series is locked at 2-2, but when these teams last met, Clemson ran all over Oklahoma, 40-6 in the Russell Athletic Bowl in 2014.

This battle will see two of the country’s best quarterbacks, in Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield and Deshaun Watson of Clemson going head-to-head, and the final result could very well be determined by which of these guys can dominate more.

This matchup will see two explosive offenses going head-to-head and at the center of it all is two All-American quarterbacks who are backing themselves to lead their respective club to victory, as they seek a place in the College Football Playoff championship game next month.

Heading into this game, Watson, who finished third in the 2015 Heisman Trophy voting, piled up 4,399 yards of total offense with 41 touchdowns, while passing for 3,512 yards and 30 TDs with 11 interceptions.

He is expected to be a handful for the Sooners defense come Thursday.

Meanwhile, Watson will be up against fellow quarterback Mayfield of Oklahoma and he also has great numbers — throwing for 3,389 yards and 35 touchdowns with only five interceptions this season. He’s also run for 887 yards and 11 touchdowns.

It’s time. Let’s Go!!

College Football Big 12 Schedule For Week 8 On Oct. 24

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TEXAS, Sporting Alert – No. 2 Baylor will look to stay in the race for the Big 12 college football title this season when it entertains Iowa State on Saturday.

The Bears have been dominating all season, so much that several pundits and college football experts believe they should be the No. 1 ranked team in the AP Top 25 poll instead of Ohio State.

On Saturday, the men from Texas will welcome Iowa State to McLane Stadium in Waco, and they are favourites to remain undefeated in the campaign.

Baylor is ranked No. 1 in the country for points per game, at 64, while sitting second in rushing yards per game, at 348.7.

Quarterback Seth Russell has been one of the main headliners for the Bears this season — passing for 1907 yards and 27 touchdowns with a 93.0 QBR.

Wide receiver Corey Coleman is also having a remarkable season for Baylor – taking 41 receptions for 877 yards and scoring 16 touchdowns, while running back Shock Linwood has run for 803 yards and eight scores so far this season.

The Cyclones have dropped their last two games and four of the last five contest.

Baylor is 6-0 on the season overall and 3-0 in Big 12, with Iowa State at 2-4, 1-2.

No. 17 Oklahoma will be trying to avoid another slip up against Texas opponents this term when it plays host to Texas Tech at Memorial Stadium in Norman, on Saturday.

The Sooners (5-1, 2-1) were shocked by the Texas Longhorns in the Red River Showdown earlier this month and will be hoping to get things right this time out.

Oklahoma did bounce back with a 55-0 rout of Kansas State on Saturday and is expected to build on that performance in trying to keep tabs on the likes of front-runners Baylor and TCU

Texas Tech (5-2, 2-2) has won its last two games, vaulting from back-to-back defeats to Baylor and TCU.

The Red Raiders clash with the Sooners this weekend starts at 2:30 p.m. CT and is live on ABC, ESPN2 and streaming live on the WatchESPN App.

Elsewhere in Big 12 college football action in Week 8, No. 14 Oklahoma State is the heavy favourite to beat the struggling Kansas, while Kansas State are at Texas.

The Jayhawks, who have given up 96 points in two games, including 66 against the Baylor Bears, are 0-6 on the season overall and 0-3 in Big 12. The Cowboys are 6-0 overall and 3-0 in Big 12.

Big 12 College Football
Week 8 Schedule
Saturday, October 24

Iowa State at No. 2 Baylor 11:00 AM ESPN, WatchESPN McLane Stadium, Waco, TX
Kansas State at Texas 11:00 AM FOXS1 Royal Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, TX
Texas Tech at No. 17 Oklahoma 2:30 PM ABC, ESPN2, WatchESPN Memorial Stadium , Norman, OK
Kansas at No. 14 Oklahoma State 2:30 PM FOXS1 Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater, OK

No. 4 TCU and West Virginia are idle until Week 9.

Clemson Dominates Oklahoma At HT: Watch Live on WatchESPN

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ORLANDO, Fla. (Sporting Alert) — Clemson took advantage of three Oklahoma turnovers to take a 27-0 lead at halftime in the Russell Athletic Bowl on Monday night.

WatchESPN Live Coverage of Clemson v Oklahoma

Cole Stoudt has made 16 of 20 in the first half on passes for 184 yards and two touchdown for the Tigers, which scored 17 points in the opening quarter.

At the other end, Trevor Knight is only 5 of 14 on completed passes for 27 yards, while turning the ball over two-times — one in which Ben Boulware returned 47 yards for a score.

Clemson, who complete 4 of 10 on third-downs, has put up 206 yards in the first half, while the Sooners have 90.

Star freshman Samaje Perine has so far carried the ball 14 times for 62 yards for Oklahoma, who turned the ball over three times with sloppy plays.

A very animated Bob Stoops was not happy with the way his team played in the first half.

The experienced coach admits that he was very “frustrated” at the way his team gave the ball away in the first half, but wants them to continue to play hard.

“I told them that they need to stay positive,” Stoops told reporters, who added that he believes one of the breaks will fall for his team.

Updated: College Football Top 25 Box Scores, Results on Dec. 6

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NORMAN, Okla. (Sporting Alert) — College football results and box scores from the top 25 games that were played on Saturday Dec. 6.

Among the winners on Saturday were defending champions Florida State, Oklahoma State, Alabama, as well as Ohio State and Baylor.

No. 2 Florida State fended off a strong challenge from Georgia Tech to secure its third straight ACC title, following a very close 37-35 victory at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

Quarterback Jameis Winston completed 21 of 30 passes and threw for 309 yards and three touchdowns in the win as the Seminoles (13-0, 8-0 ACC) extended their winning streak to 29 games.

“He’s elite, he’s special,” Fisher said. “He’s different than anybody I’ve ever been around.

“That’s simple. … When he has a job to do and people counting on him, that’s what a man does.”

Rashad Greene finished with seven catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns in the victory.

The win to go along with their undefeated season, should be enough to earn Florida State a spot in the College Football Playoff, although there have been several other cries for the likes of Ohio State and Baylor to be in.

A relaxed Seminoles head coach Jimbo Fisher believes his “amazing” team, which plays together, should have no problems making the playoff.

“There ain’t no decision to be made — the decision just got made,” Fisher said after his team’s victory.

“Last year’s team was dominating, this year’s team is more amazing,” Fisher added. “It is really is. … They compete together.

“They have had some struggles together and I think that’s what makes them so tight.”

Meanwhile, Oklahoma State dug deep to win the battle for state bragging right after beating arch rival Oklahoma in the annual Bedlam.

The Sooners came into the contest as the overwhelming favourites to secure a third successive win in this fixture, but those predictions didn’t go according to plan.

The last few meetings between these two teams have been close and exciting, and Saturday night’s contest in the Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium was no different, as once again, a last play sealed the win.

Ben Grogan made a 21 yard field goal to help unranked Oklahoma State upset No. 20 Oklahoma 38-35 in overtime in the Bedlam in Norman, on Saturday night.

The Cowboys managed to rally from being down 21-35 in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime, with Tyreek Hill returning a 92 yard punt for a touchdown with 0:45 seconds left in the game.

In overtime play, Michael Hunnicutt missed a 44 yard field goal attempt, which setup the opportunity for Grogan to convert his try later on and win the game for Oklahoma State (6-6, 4-5 Big 12), which picked up its first win since Oct. 11 and ended a five game losing streak.

The Cowboys’ win on Saturday, was also the first for Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy in Norman, while the team because bowl eligible.

OSU stopped a two game losing streak to OU with the win as well.

Mason Rudolph completed 19 of 35 passes for 273 yards and threw two touchdowns for OSU, while Brandon Sheperd made seven catches for 156 yards and two touchdowns.

Desmond Roland carried the ball 18 times for 68 yards and two touchdowns.

Oklahoma (8-4, 5-4 Big 12) star freshman running back Samaje Perine had 26 carries for 151 yards and two touchdowns before he was forced to leave the game with what looked like an ankle injury.

Aaron Ripkowski also finished with two touchdowns for the Sooners, which dropped its fourth game of the season.

Oklahoma, who scored three touchdowns in the second quarter, held a 28-14 lead at halftime.

Also on the day, No. 1 Alabama (12-1, 7-1 SEC) scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to setup a 42-13 victory over Missouri (10-3, 7-1 SEC) in the Southeastern Conference championship game.

Derrick Henry and T.J. Yeldon each rushed for two touchdowns apiece, while Blake Sims completed 23 of 27 passes for 262 yards.

Henry rushed for a career-best 141 yards on 20 carries, while DeAndrew White led the Crimson Tide in receiving with 101 yards on four catches to go along with his touchdown.

No. 5 Ohio State blews out No, 13 Wisconsin (10-3, 7-1 Big Ten) 59-0 in the Big Ten championship game to make a statement, which was echoed by head coach Urban Meyer.

The Buckeyes (10-3, 7-1 Big Ten) won the game without first choice quarterbacks J.T. Barrett, who broke his right ankle in the final regular-season game a week ago and Braxton Miller, who had been out since August with a right shoulder injury.

Third string QD Cardale Jones threw for 257 yards and three touchdowns on 12 of 17 passes in his first career start. He was named MVP of the game.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt we’re one of the top four teams in America,” said Meyer after the win.

No. 3 TCU hammered Iowa State, 55-3 in a one-sided contest, while No. 6 Baylor beat No. 9 Kansas State 38-27.

College Football Top 25 Scores on Dec. 6

No. 1 Alabama 42, No. 16 Missouri 13 Box Score
No. 3 TCU 55, Iowa State 3 Box Score
No. 4 Florida State 37, No. 11 Georgia Tech 35 Box Score
No. 5  Ohio State 59, No. 13  Wisconsin 0 – Box Score
No. 6 Baylor 38, No. 9 Kansas State 27 Box Score
Oklahoma State 38, No. 20 Oklahoma 35 (OT) Box Score
No. 22 Boise State 28, Fresno State 14 Box Score

College Men’s Basketball Top 25 Thanksgiving Schedule

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Frank Kaminsky
Frank Kaminsky scored 16 points against UAB: uwbadgers.com photo.

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (Sporting Alert) — North Carolina will look to bounce-back from its shocking loss to Butler in the last outing when it takes on UCLA in a consolation game of the Battle 4 Atlantis on Thanksgiving Day in Paradise Island, Bahamas.

The No. 5 Tar Heels (3-1) were upset 74-66 in the opening game of the tournament by Butler on Wednesday night and head coach Roy Williams admits that his team was simply outplayed.

“They outplayed us and definitely outcoached us,” Williams said after the last game.

“We had some chances at the end, but again, you have to congratulate their defense for doing such a good job.”

Junior guard Marcus Paige scored a season-high 18 points on 5-of-17 shooting to lead the way for North Carolina, who had just two other players scoring in double figures in the defeat.

On Thursday night Williams’ side will face the No. 22 UCLA (4-1), which will also try to rebound from its first defeat of the season.

The Bruins were stunned 75-65 by Oklahoma in their Battle 4 Atlantis quarterfinals fixture, with Bryce Alford scoring 19 points to lead the way for UCLA. The Bruins also collected a double-double from Kevon Looney, who finished with 16 points and 15 rebounds.

The match-up on Thursday night will see the Tar Heels and Bruins both featuring in their first top 25 fixture of the season, but the two teams weren’t expecting the clash would have happened in the losers bracket.

“Carolina didn’t think they were going to be in that bracket. We didn’t think we were going to be in that bracket,” UCLA head coach Steve Alford said.

“But that’s reality. That’s what hits you and you have to deal with it.”

Thursday’s game will tip-off at 7 p.m. ET.

In an earlier tip-off at 3:30 p.m., No. 2 Wisconsin will take on Georgetown, with both teams looking for their second win in the tournament.

The Badgers (5-0) had little trouble brushing aside UAB 72-43 in their quarterfinals on Wednesday night, with Frank Kaminsky leading the way with 16 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three blocks for the victors.

On the same night, the Hoyas (4-0) edged No. 18 Florida 66-65 in overtime, with D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera making the game winning late jumper with 3.4 seconds left in the contest.

NCAA Basketball Top 25 Games on Thanksgiving
TIME (ET)
3:30 PM Georgetown vs (2) Wisconsin ESPN, WatchESPN
7:00 PM (5) North Carolina vs (22) UCLA
2:00 PM (11) Kansas vs Rhode Island ESPN2, WatchESPN
9:30 PM (18) Florida vs UAB
6:30 PM (20) Michigan St vs Rider ESPN2, WatchESPN

College Football Top 25 Scores in Week 8

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NORMAN, Okla. (Sporting Alert) — Results, scores and records for the college football games that took place in Week 8 on Saturday.

Highlighting the day was the one-side 59-0 shutout by No. 7 Alabama (6-1) over No. 21 Texas A&M (5-3) at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa.

Blake Sims passed for 268 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for another 43-yard run score in the dominating victory for the Crimson Tide, which improved to 3-1 in Southeastern Conference league action.

On their way to a second shutout on the season, Alabama scored 35 points on five touch downs in the second quarter, which set a school record for most points in a quarter.

The performance also matched the second-most points scored in a half, as the Crimson Tide went into the break with a 45-0 lead.

Another smashing result on the day saw West Virginia handing No. 4 Baylor their first defeated of the season with a 41-27 score at Milan Puskar Stadium.

“I told them at halftime, ‘We’re not in this thing to finish close again. Let’s go out there and win this thing,'” West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen said after the win.

In Norman, Okla., No. 14 Kansas State held on for a narrow 31-30 victory over No. 11 Oklahoma, following a series of misses, including a vital 19-yard field goal miss by Sooners kicker Michael Hunnicutt.

“I feel for Michael,” OU head coach Bob Stoops said. “He’s been an excellent kicker for us and a great young man. We all love him.

“I feel that for him, because unfortunately, the kicker, that just kind of sticks out.”

Kansas State coach Bill Snyder added: “The youngster that missed the field goal, he will go another hundred years without missing another field goal. So we were just lucky. That happens.”

Elsewhere, No. 13 Ohio State cruised to a 56-17 win over Rutgers, No. 8 Michigan State also scored 56 points in their win over Indiana, who got 17 points, while No. 12 TCU hammered No. 15 Oklahoma State, 42-9.

NCAA Football Top 25 Scores:

(2) Florida State 31 (7-0), (5) Notre Dame 27 (6-1)
(3) Mississippi 34 (7-0), Tennessee 3 (3-4)
West Virginia 41 (5-2), (4) Baylor 27 (6-1)
(7) Alabama 59 (6-1), (21) Texas A&M 0 (5-3)
(8) Michigan State 56 (6-1), Indiana 17 (3-3)
(9) Oregon 42 (6-1), Washington 20 (5-2)
(10) Georgia 45 (6-1), Arkansas 32 (3-4)
(12) TCU 42 (5-1), (15) Oklahoma State 9 (5-2)
(13) Ohio State 56 (5-1), Rutgers 17 (5-2)
(14) Kansas State 31 (5-1), (11) Oklahoma 30 (5-2)
(17) Arizona State 26 (5-1), (23) Stanford 10 (4-3)
(19) Nebraska 38 (6-1), Northwestern 17 (3-4)
(22) USC 56 (5-2), Colorado 28 (2-5)
(24) Clemson 17 (5-2), Boston College 13 (4-3)
(25) Marshall 45 (7-0), Florida International 13 (3-5)

NCAAF top 25 Week 8 fixtures and game times

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Oklahoma v Kansas State: Head coaches Bob Stoops and Bill Snyder. soonersports.com photo

NEW YORK (Sporting Alert) — The following is the list of NCAAF top 25 games on the schedule for Week 8 on Saturday.

One of the early highlighted clash on the schedule sees No. 14 Kansas State traveling to Norman to face No. 11 Oklahoma at Memorial Stadium.

The Sooners (5-1, 2-1 Big 12) fended off a determined Texas Longhorns side, 31-26 in their last outing, while the Wildcats (4-1, 2-0 Big 12) eased to a 45-13 win over Texas Tech in their last fixture on Oct. 4.

Asked how important this Big 12 meeting is with OU, K-State head coach Bill Snyder said: “You only get 12 maybe 13 opportunities to (play) out of 365 days, so you can’t go through and pick and choose which is more important because they all count.”

“Every single game counts. You can’t demean the value of the game, the significance of the game or the importance of a game.”

Also of interest in Week 8 are the clashes that feature No. 21 Texas A&M at No. 7 Alabama, No. 15 Oklahoma State at No. 12 TCU, No. 23 Stanford at No. 17 Arizona State and of course, No. 5 Notre Dame at No. 2 Florida State.

No. 8 Michigan State travels to face Indiana, while LSU, looking to return to the top 25, is at home to Kentucky.

Although this is not a top-25 clash, lots of attention will also be at the Ben Hill Griffin Stadium where Florida will take on Missouri, hoping to keep a playoffs hope alive.

No. 1 Mississippi State are off this week, but returns to action next weekend at Kentucky where they hope to still be the top ranked team in the country.

Saturday, October 18
TIME (ET) MATCHUP TV
12:00 PM No. 4 Baylor at West Virginia FOX Sports 1
12:00 PM No. 14 Kansas State at No. 11 Oklahoma ESPN
3:30 PM No. 21 Texas A&M at No. 7 Alabama CBS
3:30 PM No. 8 Michigan State at Indiana ESPN
3:30 PM Rutgers at No. 13 Ohio State ABC ESPN2
3:30 PM No. 24 Clemson at Boston College ESPNU
4:00 PM No. 10 Georgia at Arkansas
4:00 PM No. 15 Oklahoma State at No. 12 TCU FOX Sports 1
6:00 PM Colorado at No. 22 USC Pac-12 Network
6:00 PM No. 25 Marshall at Florida International
7:00 PM Tennessee at No. 3 Ole Miss ESPN
7:30 PM No. 19 Nebraska at Northwestern BTN
8:00 PM No. 5 Notre Dame at No. 2 Florida State ABC ESPN 3
8:00 PM Washington at No. 9 Oregon FOX Sports 1
10:30 PM No. 23 Stanford at No. 17 Arizona State ESPN