Penn State bags Big Ten title

INDIANAPOLIS — Trace McSorley threw four touchdown passes and No. 8 Penn State stunned No. 6 Wisconsin 38-31 in US college football Saturday night, overcoming a 21-point first-half deficit in the greatest comeback in Big Ten title game history. Penn State (11-2, No. 7 CFP) won its first conference title in eight years. The Nittany Lions must wait to see if the selection committee rewards them with one of the four coveted playoff spots Sunday. Penn State trailed 28-7 with 5:15 left in the first half, but McSorley led the Nittany Lions to touchdowns on each of its next four possessions, finally taking a 35-31 lead on an 18-yard pass to Saquon Barkley with 13:41 left. Things looked bleak early, but McSorley repeatedly burned the nation’s No. 3 defense with long passes on a record-breaking night. McSorley finished 22 of 31 for 384 yards. The yardage and TD passes were both Big Ten championship game records. He also broke the school’s single-season records for yards passing and touchdown passes. And he wasn’t the only one to have a memorable performance. Saeed Blacknall caught six passes, two for touchdowns, and finished with a championship-game record 155 yards. Alabama 54, Florida 16: Alabama showed off all its weapons in the Southeastern Conference championship game. Now, the Crimson Tide can expect a return trip to Atlanta for the College Football Playoff. The nation’s No. 1 team scored off a blocked punt and an interception return Saturday before wearing down No. 15 Florida in the second half with a dominant running game. The rout positioned Alabama to go for its second straight national title and its fifth crown in the last nine years under coach Nick Saban. No. 3 Clemson 42, No. 19 Virginia Tech 35: Deshaun Watson bolstered his Heisman Trophy candidacy by passing for three touchdowns and running for two more to lead Clemson past Virginia Tech in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game. Winning consecutive league titles for the first time in 28 years likely will send the Tigers (12-1, No. 3 CFP) back to the four-team College Football Playoff for the second straight year, providing Watson with an opportunity to resolve unfinished business from last January, when his team lost to Alabama in the national championship game. No. 7 Oklahoma 38, No. 11 Oklahoma State 20: Baker Mayfield passed for 288 yards and three touchdowns as Oklahoma beat Oklahoma State in a matchup that decided the Big 12 title and likely guaranteed the Sooners a trip to the Sugar Bowl. Mayfield performed well throughout, despite finishing the game without top receiver Dede Westbrook. Westbrook caught four passes for 111 yards before being knocked out of the game on a crushing hit by safety Jordan Sterns. No. 14 West Virninia 24, Baylor 21: Skyler Howard threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score as West Virginia held on in the Big 12 regular-season finale for both teams. Justin Crawford rushed for 209 yards to help the Mountaineers (10-2, 7-2) to their first 10-win regular-season since 2007. They came from 11 points down in the first half to hand Baylor (6-6, 3-6) its sixth straight loss after a 6-0 start. Temple 34, No. 20 Navy 10: Phillip Walker threw two touchdown passes and Temple stifled Navy’s running game as the Owls claimed their first American Athletic Conference title.