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College Football Saturday: Upset Weekend Claims Oregon, Oklahoma

After a dull afternoon schedule, everything went nuts in the evening. Oklahoma and Oregon were both losers, and Virginia won in the most ACC way possible. Here's the Week 12 college football schedule.

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128 Total Updates since November 18, 2011
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Cal Vs. Stanford Final Score: Big Game Goes To Cardinal, Despite Bears' Best Effort

The Cal Bears hung around for much of the game, heading into the half down by just a point and coming as close as seven in the fourth quarter in the Big Game. But the Bears ran out of real estate as Stanford kicked a field goal with three minutes to go to make it a two-possession game.

Cal did find the end zone on its next possession, but ran off all but 14 seconds of clock. The one-yard touchdown run cut the Stanford lead to three, 31-28, but Cal needed an onside kick and at least a field goal to force overtime.

The Bears were unable to come up with the onside kick as Stanford tight end Coby Fleener collected the ball to dash Cal's hopes. Despite making a late run and giving Stanford a scare, Cal was unable to pull off yet another upset on a wild Saturday, falling by a field goal, 31-28.

For further reading, news, discussion and more, visit Stanford blog Rule Of Tree and California blog California Golden Blogs.

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Oklahoma Vs. Baylor Final Score: Robert Griffin III Is The Best Football Player Ever

The Oklahoma Sooners and Baylor Bears will head to overtime, tied at 38 each, after Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops nearly tried to end it all in the final minute. Baylor had a chance to win it with 50 seconds remaining after a Sooners touchdown, put played for overtime. But OU started calling time outs, so the Bears obliged by advancing the ball to midfield with 28 seconds to go.

Kendall Wright grabbed a first down inside of Aaron Jones' field goal range, which proved unnecessary -- Robert Griffin III fired a 34-yard touchdown to Terrance Williams in the end zone, making it 45-38 with eight ticks to go. The Bears recovered a squibbed kickoff, and that was that.

Griffin finished with a school-record 478 yards passing, plus 86 on the ground. OU's title hopes are done, Bedlam is just another football game now, and everything is completely broken.

The nuttiness, other than Oklahoma's time out call:

With a 38-31 lead, Baylor had a chance to put the game away, but punted it back at the 3:31 mark. All that time allowed OU to keep feeding Roy Finch, who approached the 100-yard mark early in the drive. A strike from Landry Jones to Jaz Reynolds put the ball inside Baylor's 30, followed by another Reynolds catch.

A screen to Trey Franks earned a first down, but as the one-minute mark approached, the Sooners found themselves stuck with a third down in the red zone. Brennan Clay grabbed the ball in the flat for an easy conversion.

Alliterative bruiser Blake Bell took over for Jones, forcing a Baylor time out. The Belldozer powered for a touchdown, giving Stoops a decision. Send Bell up the middle again for the likely win, or kick and hold for overtime?

Stoops sent Bell right back out, in the same formation, to boot. Baylor called another time out after getting a look at the arrangement. Same quarterback, same set, and Oklahoma lineman Adam Shead jumped. OU was forced to kick.

This weekend was supposed to be the worst of the college football season. But do you realize that even before this game, almost half of the top seven lost? Hail Corso.

For further reading, news, discussion and more, visit Oklahoma blog Crimson and Cream Machine and Baylor blog Our Daily Bears.

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Oregon Vs. USC Final Score: Ducks Comeback Falls Short

Though the Oregon Ducks trailed the USC Trojans by as many as 24 points, the critical Pac-12 (and BCS!) battle game down to the final minute. The Ducks had a lot of ground to travel and needed three points to tie. With just under a minute to go, Oregon secured a first down in (long) field goal territory.

Oregon had three time outs, but chose to play at ... well, a pretty normal pace for them. In fact, USC was the first to blink and call for a stoppage.

Kenjon Barner neared a first down on the next play, then picked it up on second down to reach the outskirts of Oregon's field goal range. Darron Thomas threw out of bounds to leave the Ducks with three time outs and 14 seconds left. A screen to Lavasier Tuinei was stuffed, leading to a time out with seven ticks to go.

It would've been a 37-yard field goal, seven yards beyond Alejandro Maldonado's long, but an Oregon false start made it a 42-yard attempt. USC was kind enough to jump offsides, but no matter -- the ball sailed wide left. Trojans win, 38-35, and Oregon's the next to suffer the wrath of Lee Corso's F--- It Saturday.

For more on this game, visit USC blog Conquest Chronicles and Oregon blog Addicted To Quack, plus Pac-12 blog Pacific Takes.

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Tennessee Vs. Vanderbilt Final Score: Eric Gordon Interception Ends OT

Eric Gordon of the Tennessee Volunteers picked off a Jordan Rodgers throw and ran it back to the end zone, appearing to end the game against the Vanderbilt Commodores in dramatic fashion. Referees signaled him down at the spot of the catch, but replays showed he really never came all that close to brushing his knee against the turf.

The Vols, once again, had to be called off the field and back onto the sideline as Knoxville faithful showered boos. But after review, officials had no choice but to reverse the call. Tennessee wins, 27-21.

Vandy came into the game with hopes of clinching a bowl game trip for the second time since 1983, while UT just wanted to ensure it would finish the season with at least one SEC win. Vandy will get another chance next week, while Tennessee likewise needs to win its last game to reach a bowl game.

For more on this game, visit Vanderbilt blog Anchor of Gold and Tennessee blog Rocky Top Talk, plus SEC blog Team Speed Kills.

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LSU Vs. Ole Miss Final Score: Exactly What You'd Think

All you need to know about LSU-Ole Miss: Les Miles called for the Tigers to start kneeling out the clock with five minutes left. The score was 52-3.

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Boston College Vs. Notre Dame Final Score: Irish Take Narrow Win Against Underwhelming Eagles

Remember when Notre Dame's pillowy-soft schedule was going to propel them to double-digit wins? Well, that hasn't quite happened, but the Irish have picked up their eighth victory of the season with a two-point win against Boston College, which isn't exactly a team full of giant-killers right now.

The Irish did have an impressive 417 yards of total offense, but only turned that into 16 points. Jonas Gray's 26-yard touchdown run early in the game was the only touchdown for Notre Dame all day. Tommy Rees was 24-of-39 for 256 yards and an interception, the Irish's sole turnover. The Notre Dame defense limited BC to 254 yards.

But for whatever reason, the Irish couldn't shake the Eagles. Chase Rettig's seven-yard touchdown pass to Bobby Swigert pulled BC to within two, but the on-side kick went to Notre Dame and the Irish ran all but the final few seconds off the clock and clinched the game.

For more on the Irish's big win, head over to Notre Dame blog One Foot Down. Eagles fans can commiserate at Boston College blog BC Interruption. Keep up with all the latest at our college football hub.

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Mississippi State Vs. Arkansas Final Score: Hogs Trample Bulldogs Ahead Of LSU Showdown

There was probably a moment, around the time that Mississippi State cut the Arkansas lead to 14-10, when State fans thought, "You know, we might have a chance in this thing." That moment didn't last long, as Arkansas promptly scored 30 unanswered points and cruised past Mississippi State, 44-17.

The game was a reminder that there are three teams in the SEC a rather large gap, maybe one or two teams, and then a chasm until the bottom of the league. It's also a reminder that Mississippi State is in the latter group. The Razorbacks picked up 539 yards. Tyler Wilson was 32-of-43 for 365 yards and three touchdowns. Mississippi State, which gained just 210 yards, went almost 42 minutes of game time between scores at one point.

The win keeps the Hogs alive in the SEC West race, as well as preserving their long-shot hopes for a shot at the national title, as they prepare to face LSU next week. Mississippi State now has to win next week's Egg Bowl against Ole Miss to go to the postseason.

For further reading, news, discussion and more, visit Arkansas blog Arkansas Expats and Mississippi State blog For Whom the Cowbell Tolls. Here’s the complete college football TV schedule, and stay tuned to SB Nation’s college football news hub for more.

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Clemson Vs. N.C. State Final Score: Tigers Blasted Without Sammy Watkins

We've waited all year for it, and now it's here. The loss to Georgia Tech didn't really count, and the narrow escapes against Wake Forest and Maryland came up just short. But the Clemson Tigers have finally Clemsoned, falling 37-13 to the N.C. State Wolfpack, knocking themselves out of a BCS game unless they can win the ACC.

That's the good news -- the Tigers are still in the ACC Championship Game. For the Pack, this means one win away from bowl eligibility and thus a chance to finish with a winning record in a season that will best be known for being "the one without Russell Wilson." 

The Wolfpack defense forced two Tajh Boyd interceptions, as Sammy Watkins' absence couldn't have been more profound. One game ball goes to Terrell Manning, who finished with two fumble recoveries, a half-sack, and seemingly dozens of tackles. Or so.

For more on this game, visit N.C. State blog Backing The Pack and Clemson blog Shakin' The Southland.

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SMU Vs. Houston Final Score: Cougars Stay On Course, Case Keenum Does Some Stuff

The Houston Cougars welcomed the SMU Mustangs, along with College GameDay for the first time ever, with a whole lot to lose. An unbeaten season, a Conference USA title, and a clear path to a BCS bowl. Kevin Sumlin's crew did not falter, walloping their in-state foes, 37-7, and remaining one of the nation's two unbeaten teams.

And, yes, of course Case Keenum broke a record on the day, even though there were enough footballs to go around for two running backs to score touchdowns. Cotton Turner scored, too! The next to fall:

Sam Khan Jr.@skhanjr Case Keenum has now tied the NCAA record for 300 yard passing games (Timmy Chang, 36). 

It's not all daisies from here on out for Houston, which will have to beat a legit Tulsa team that's yet to lose a C-USA contest just to reach the conference's title game. But nobody's come within a touchdown of the Cougars since September, and UH has to be considered the favorite to represent the outcasts on the big stage.

For more on our participants, visit SB Nation Houston and SB Nation Dallas.

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Colorado State Vs. TCU Final Score: Horned Frogs Overcome Slow Start, Breeze Past Rams

The Horned Frogs got off to a sluggish start Saturday in their game against Colorado State, but they tacked on 21 points in the second half to pull away late, winning 34-10 and clinching at least a share of the Mountain West Championship in their last season in the conference. And they have the tiebreakers against Boise State and Wyoming.

Despite the late surge, it wasn't the prettiest game in the world for TCU. Colorado State actually outgained the amphibians 404-369. Casey Pachall recovered from a rocky start to finish okay, 13-of-20 for 116 yards. Waymon James had 15 rushes for 107 yards, part of a ground attack that rushed for 253 yards and three touchdowns on 43 attempts.

For Colorado State, quarterback Garrett Grayson played well in the second game of his career, going 14-of-24 for 244 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He also rushed for 53 yards on eight carries.

For further reading, news, discussion and more, visit TCU blog Frogs O' War. Here's the complete college football TV schedule, and stay tuned to SB Nation's college football news hub for more.

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Miami Vs. USF Final Score: Hurricanes Win On Last Second Field Goal, 6-3

The Miami Hurricane kicked a 36-yard field goal as time expired to barely sneak by the USF Bulls, 6-3. Yes, you read that right. Three field goals -- two in the first half, one in the second -- were it as far as scoring went in Tampa. Ugly was the name of the game.

Miami struck first as Jake Wieclaw drilled a 26-yard field goal in the first quarter to give the Hurricanes a 3-0 lead. USF answered in the second quarter, with Maikon Bonani connecting on a 42-yard field goal. And that was it for the scoring until the clock expired in the fourth quarter.

Jacory Harris threw for a game-high 259 yards, easily dwarfing USF's passing production. B.J. Daniels led the Bulls with 97 yards through the air. Darrell Scott rushed for a game-high 57 yards as the Bulls out-gained the Hurricanes on the ground, 113-57.

For further reading, news, discussion and more, visit Miami blog The 7th Floor and South Florida blog Voodoo Five. Here’s the complete Week 10 college football TV schedule, and stay tuned to SB Nation’s college football news hub for more.

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Penn State Vs. Ohio State Final Score: Nittany Lions Hang On, 20-14

It was a tale of two halves in Columbus as Penn State and Ohio State looked to be on their way to a shootout at the half. By then, the two teams had combined for 34 points, with Penn State leading, 20-14. But coming out of the break, everything went silent as both teams struggled over the final 30 minutes.

The Buckeyes had their chances, driving into Penn State territory late in the fourth quarter, only to see the drive stall on a false start penalty. Facing a fourth down and needing 10, Braxton Miller came up a yard short on the scramble, giving the Nittany Lions the ball back.

Penn State was unable to do anything on the ensuing possession, giving the Buckeyes one last chance. An intentional grounding on first down put Ohio State in a hole, and Braxton Miller was never able to get anything going. Miller missed on his next three passes, the last of which, on fourth down, ended the game.

The final score in Columbus: Penn State 20, Ohio State 14.

For further reading, news, discussion and more, visit Ohio State blog Along The Olentangy and Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. Here’s the complete Week 10 college football TV schedule, and stay tuned to SB Nation’s college football news hub for more.

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Georgia Southern Vs. Alabama Final Score: Tide Allow Plenty Of Yards But Get 10th Win

It's not going to win any award for most dominating victory of the year, but Alabama looked far better than some of its SEC peers who faced Southern Conference teams, clocking Georgia Southern 45-21 to move to 10-1 on the season and keep the Tide's hopes for a BCS bowl berth (and maybe more?) alive.

The Tide ran for 272 yards on 49 attempts, including Trent Richardson's 32 carries for 175 yards and a pair of touchdowns. A.J. McCarron went 14-of-19 passing to add 190 yards and three scores.

But if you were looking for a reason to be skeptical of Alabama's defense, it was there: 302 yards on 39 carries, a 7.7-yard average that can partially be explained by Georgia Southern's flexbone offense. But that's still not the kind of defensive performance that SEC fans have come to expect.

A win's a win, though, and the Eagles never got closer than within 10 points of the Tide. There are a lot of SEC teams that would take that right about now.

For further reading, news, discussion and more, visit Alabama blog Roll Bama Roll. Here's the complete college football TV schedule, and stay tuned to SB Nation's college football news hub for more.

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Kentucky Vs. Georgia Final Score: Bulldogs Clinch SEC East With Ugly Win

They don't judge style points when handing out the SEC East title -- which is good for Georgia, because the Bulldogs didn't earn many in their victory against Kentucky. Instead, the new division champions survived an ugly 19-10 win to clinch a trip to the Georgia Dome for the SEC Championship Game.

And the Dawgs didn't exactly give the SEC West leader a lot to fear in a game against one of college football's worst teams. They trailed Kentucky 10-6 at one point, and held a 12-10 halftime lead only because of a Kentucky fumble. Georgia managed 317 yards of offense and had just one touchdown -- a seven-yard pass from Aaron Murray to Marlon Brown -- and seemed to be largely sleepwalking through the game. Overall, Murray was 16-of-29 for 162 yard, a touchdown and an interception.

Brandon Harton led the Bulldogs on the ground, churning out 101 yards on 23 carries.

For Kentucky, the story was largely one of turnovers -- two fumbles and a pair of interceptions that helped destroy their chances of pulling the shocker. Even when they were holding onto the ball, the Wildcats could generate just 165 yards of offense and 10 first downs. The loss officially ends Kentucky's hopes of going to a bowl game, breaking a five-year streak of postseason appearances.

For further reading, news, discussion and more, visit Kentucky blog A Sea of Blue and Georgia blog Dawg Sports. Here’s the complete college football TV schedule, and stay tuned to SB Nation’s college football news hub for more.

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Nebraska Vs. Michigan Final Score: Denard Robinson Leads Wolverines To Win

The Michigan Wolverines and Nebraska Cornhuskers were projected to put on of the few decent games of Saturday's early afternoon college football schedule, but the game between ranked opponents didn't exactly live up to the hype. Denard Robinson threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more as the Wolverines rolled in the second half on the way to a final score of 45-17 in Ann Arbor.

The No. 18 ranked Wolverines led just 17-10 at halftime, but Denard Robinson and running back Fitzgerald Toussaint each contributed a pair of second half touchdowns to upset the 16th-ranked Cornhuskers.

Robinson completed 11 of his 18 passing attempts for 180 yards and a pair of touchdowns through the air to supplement a pair of touchdowns and 83 yards rushing for the versatile quarterback. Toussaint added 138 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 29 rushing attempts for the sophomore running back.

The Cornhuskers simply didn't get as much out of quarterback Taylor Martinez as they needed. The sophomore converted nine of his 23 passing attempts for 122 yards and a touchdowns and added 49 yards on the ground, but Michigan was just too much for the visiting team when all was said and done.

 For more on this game, visit Nebraska blog Corn Nation and Michigan blog Maize N Brew, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire.

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Indiana Vs. Michigan State Final Score: Kirk Cousins Leads Lopsided Spartans Victory

The Michigan State Spartans had no trouble putting away the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday in the match-up of Big Ten opponents on opposite ends of the spectrum. The Spartans led by 31 at halftime before piling on a few more second half touchdowns before the final score read 55-3 in favor of the No. 15 ranked Spartans.

Spartans quarterbck Kirk Cousins finished the game by completing 16 of his 23 passing attempts for 272 yards and three touchdowns, though he was shut down once garbage time began and was replaced by back-up quarterbacks Andrew Maxwell and eventually Peter Badovinac.

Michigan State also had quite a bit of success in the running game as they ran the ball 34 times for 174 yards and three touchdowns in total. Edwin Baker scored two of those touchdowns on 10 attempts for 34 yards, wide receiver Keshawn Martin took a 19-yard trick play to the house and Le'Veon Bell added 68 yards on just nine rushing attempts. 

The Hoosiers started Tre Roberson at quarterback, but the freshman completed less than half of his 25 passing attempts and threw two interceptions before being replaced by Edward Wright-Baker. The Hoosiers didn't have any luck on the ground, either, as they mustered just 94 yards on 36 rushing attempts.

The Hoosiers picked up 12 first downs compared to 22 from Michigan State with the third-down conversions being a big part of that -- Indiana went 3-for-15 while the Spartans were 6-of-12 on the crucial conversions.

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Wisconsin Vs. Illinois Final Score: Badgers Drop Illini To Keep Division Hopes Alive

Wisconsin will head into its game against Penn State next week with a chance to win the Big Ten Leaders Division. (That's the one with Ohio State in it.) Illinois made a valiant attempt to upset the Badgers and take away Wisconsin's ability to control its own destiny, but a 14-point third quarter put the game out of reach.

Former Heisman contender Russell Wilson attempted just 13 passes, but completed 10 of them for 90 yards and a touchdown. But Montee Ball carried the Badgers, toting the football 38 times for 224 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. He also had a receiving touchdown, accounting for all of Wisconsin's points except for Wilson's one-yard touchdown run.

Illinois actually slightly outgained the Badgers but couldn't keep the ball in the right team's hands. Reilly O'Toole and Nathan Scheelhaase combined to throw three interceptions in the loss. The Fighting Illini have now lost five straight after a strong opening to the season.

For further reading, news, discussion and more, visit Wisconsin blog Bucky's 5th Quarter and Illinois blog Hail To The Orange. Stay tuned to SB Nation's college football news hub for mor.

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Citadel Vs. South Carolina Final Score: Gamecocks Able To Avert Upset

The South Carolina Gamecocks were able to avert an upset on Saturday afternoon against the Citadel Bulldogs after having just a seven-point advantage at halftime over the Southern Conference foes. Quarterback Connor Shaw threw three touchdowns in the second half, however, allowing the Gamecock to finish the game with a 41-20 final score.

Shaw didn't throw for any touchdowns in the first half, but the South Caarolina quarterback finished the game with impressive statistics regardless. Shaw completed 16 of his 18 passing attempts for 217 yards and three touchdowns while adding an additional 90 yards and a touchdown on the ground.  South Carolina's running back's running game was solid as well as Brandon Wilds took 20 carries for 109 yards and two touchdowns.

The Citadel attempted two passing attempts on Saturday, which isn't exactly a surprise, but the running game wasn't able to hold up its end of the bargain in the second half. Darien Robinson carried the ball 21 times for 90 yards and a touchdown while Rickey Anderson had 69 rushing yards and a touchdown on eight attempts, but the Bulldogs weren't able to keep pace with the passing attack of the Gamecocks.

With the victory, South Carolina improved to 9-2 on the season with a game upcoming against fellow top-ten ranked Clemson scheduled for next Saturday to close out the regular season.

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Fan Killed In U-Haul Crash At Harvard-Yale Tailgate, According To Report

Saturday's Harvard-Yale game will be played under dark circumstances: A tailgater was reportedly killed in New Haven this morning.

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