College Football Top 25 Review

College Football Top 25 Review

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Alabama will have a chance to defend its BCS title. The Crimson Tide emerged victorious in Saturday's back-and-forth affair after the Bulldogs came up just short on their final drive. Aaron Murray's deflected pass landed in the hands of Chris Conley and the clock expired. But the stars of the day came from 'Bama's backfield. Eddie Lacy ran for 185 yards and two touchdowns, and T.J. Yeldon (pictured) rushed for 152 yards and a score. Quarterback AJ McCarron connected with Amari Cooper from 45 yards out for the SEC championship-winning touchdown with 3:15 remaining in the game.

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Kansas State is bound for a BCS bowl. Despite trailing the Longhorns 17-14 in the third quarter, the Wildcats rallied to lock up their place atop the Big 12 standings. Heisman candidate Collin Klein accounted for 287 total yards and three touchdowns, while running back John Hubert (pictured) collected 66 rushing yards and three more scores. Kansas State rattled off 28 unanswered points in a span of fewer than 15 minutes in the second half.

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

Stanford is headed to its third consecutive BCS bowl berth. Following the lead of redshirt freshman quarterback Kevin Hogan, the Cardinal rallied in the fourth quarter to capture the program's first Pac-12 title since 1999. Hogan connected with Drew Terrell (pictured) for a 26-yard score on third-and-15, and kicker Jordan Williamson drilled the game-winning field goal with 6:49 remaining. UCLA running back Johnathan Franklin collected 194 rushing yards and two touchdowns in defeat.

R. Yeatts/Getty Images

Oklahoma has clinched a share of the Big 12 title. The Sooners secured a tie atop the league standings after outlasting TCU in Fort Worth. Landry Jones completed 22-of-40 attempts for 244 yards and two scores, and Damien Williams (pictured) added touchdowns of 11 and 66 yards, respectively. Bob Stoops' team won each of its last five contests -- three on the road -- to finish the regular season with a record of 10-2.

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

It was closer than many expected, but Florida State eventually outlasted Georgia Tech to claim the ACC's AQ berth in this year's BCS. EJ Manuel (pictured) completed 16-of-21 attempts for 134 yards, and James Wilder Jr. paced the ground game with 10 carries for 69 yards and a touchdown. The 'Noles clinched the win after sophomore defensive back Karlos Williams intercepted Yellow Jackets quarterback Tevin Washington with 1:10 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Wisconsin's playmakers went off in a major way in the Big Ten title game on Saturday night. The Badgers exploded for 640 yards of total offense, an output that was fueled almost entirely on the ground. Melvin Gordon ran for 216 yards and a touchdown, Montee Ball raced for 202 yards and three scores and James White (pictured) racked up 109 yards and four touchdowns. Despite losing five games over the course of the regular season, Wisconsin will advance to the Rose Bowl to play Stanford.

Steve Dykes/Getty Images

One week after losing the Civil War against Oregon, the Beavers came out firing at home against Nicholls State. Oregon State racked up 683 yards of total offense in a rout of the overmatched Colonels. Sean Mannion and Cody Vaz combined for five touchdown passes, while wideout Markus Wheaton (pictured) made 12 catches for 123 yards and a score. After posting a meager 3-9 in 2011, Mike Riley's squad finishes the 2012 regular season with an impressive 9-3 mark.

Dave Reginek/Getty Images

Friday night MACtion did not disappoint. Bolstered by a star performance from quarterback Jordan Lynch (pictured), Northern Illinois defeated Kent State in double overtime to win the MAC Championship Game. Lynch passed for 212 yards, rushed for 160 yards and scored four total touchdown, while Huskies running back Akeem Daniels scampered for another 170 yards and a score. Lynch's two-yard touchdown on the first possession of double overtime proved to be the game-winner.

Cooper Neill/Getty Images

After losing four games in a row in October, Baylor closed out the regular season on a hot streak. The Bears won four of their final five games, including Saturday's high-scoring victory over Oklahoma State. Nick Florence (pictured) threw for 296 yards, Tevin Reese amassed 108 receiving yards and a score and Lache Seastrunk paced the running attack with 178 yards and a touchdown. Junior linebacker Eddie Lackey recorded a pick-six for the second consecutive week.

AP

Boise State jumped out to a 17-0 lead on Nevada, then let the Wolf Pack creep back to within one score in the closing minutes. But the Broncos held tough, allowing three rushing scores but zero through the air. Offensively, Matt Miller (pictured) led the way for Boise with 127 yards and a touchdown on seven receptions. With the win, the Broncos claimed a share of the Mountain West title and finished with at least 10 wins for a nation's best seventh consecutive season.