The Power 4 conferences each crowned their football champions yesterday, and the games did not disappoint.
Top-ranked Oregon held off No. 3 Penn State, 45-37, completing the Ducks’ perfect season in their Big 10 debut. The Nittany Lions nearly overcame a 15-point lead in the final four minutes, but Oregon’s interception with 1:54 left all but sealed the Big 10 title.
No. 2 Texas and No. 5 Georgia needed overtime to settle their rematch. Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck injured his arm in the first half, and he didn’t return until he was forced into action on the game’s final play—a handoff for a Trevor Etienne touchdown that won the SEC championship, 22-19.
No. 17 Clemson’s true freshman kicker, Nolan Hauser, winked at his bench before drilling a 56-yard field goal for the ACC Championship over No. 8 SMU, 34-31.
No. 15 Arizona State rolled past No. 16 Iowa State in the Big 12 Championship, 45-19. The Sun Devils were picked last in pre-season conference rankings.
The College Football Playoff committee will release final rankings at Noon ET today on ESPN, along with the 12-team playoff bracket and game locations.
