Dec 1, 2012 5 min read

ATLANTA – Alabama is heading back to the national championship game – by a mere 4 yards.

AJ McCarron threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Amari Cooper with 3:15 remaining, and the No. 2 Crimson Tide barely held off No. 3 Georgia 32-28 in a Southeastern Conference title game for the ages Saturday.

After an apparent game-clinching interception by Alabama was overturned after looking at the replay, Georgia’s Aaron Murray completed a 15-yard pass to Arthur Lynch, a 23-yarder to Tavarres King and a 26-yarder to Lynch, who was hauled down at the Alabama 8 as the clock continued to run.

The Bulldogs were out of timeouts.

Instead of spiking the ball and gathering themselves, the Bulldog snapped the ball with 9 seconds to go. Murray threw a pass in the flat to Chris Conley, who slipped down at the 4.

Georgia couldn’t get off another play. Alabama celebrated as confetti fell from the Georgia Dome room. The Bulldogs collapsed on the field, stunned they had come so close to knocking off the team that has won two of the last three national titles.

The Tide will get a chance to make it three out of four when they face top-ranked Notre Dame for the BCS crown Jan. 7 in Miami.

For the Bulldogs (11-2), the consolation prize will likely be a spot in the Capital One Bowl, though they certainly looked like a team fully deserving of a BCS bid.

In a back-and-forth second half that looked nothing like a game in the defensive-minded SEC, the Crimson Tide trailed 21-10 after Alec Ogletree returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown in the third quarter.

Alabama rallied behind a punishing run game, finishing with 350 yards on the ground, an SEC championship game record. Eddie Lacy finished with 181 yards on 20 carries, including two TDs. Freshman T.J. Yeldon had 153 yards on 25 carries, also scoring a TD.

But the Tide won it through the air.

With Georgia stacking the line, McCarron fooled the Bulldogs with play action and delivered a perfectly thrown pass to Cooper, who beat Damian Swann in single coverage.

No. 12 Oklahoma 24, TCU 17: Landry Jones threw for 244 yards and two touchdowns, Damien Williams ran untouched 66 yards for a score and 12th-ranked Oklahoma held on to win 24-17 at TCU Saturday and clinch at least a share of the Big 12 title.

TCU’s fourth-down pass to the goal-line in the final minute was well-defended and fell incomplete.

The Sooners (10-2, 8-1 Big 12) won their eighth consecutive Big 12 game since a late-September loss to Kansas State, which played it regular-season finale at home Saturday night against No. 23 Texas. Oklahoma would have the outright title and guaranteed BCS spot if the seventh-ranked Wildcats lose.

Oklahoma, whose only other loss was to No. 1 Notre Dame, is in good shape for the final at-large BCS berth even if K-State wins.

TCU (7-5, 4-5) lost all four of its Big 12 games at home despite winning four on the road.

No. 24 Oklahoma State 41, Baylor 34: A sluggish start and one defensive letdown kept No. 24 Oklahoma State from continuing its recent dominance of Baylor.

Lache Seastrunk rushed for 178 yards, including diving in to complete a 76-yard touchdown run after cramping up, and Nick Florence passed for 296 yards to lead Baylor past the Cowboys 41-34 Saturday.

The Cowboys (7-5, 4-5 Big 12) fell behind 24-3 in the second quarter before rallying within a touchdown with 5:30 left in the game.

On the next play from scrimmage, Seastrunk broke free up the middle for his long scoring run. The sophomore running back cramped up about 25 yards short of the end zone before stumbling in just over the goal line.

No. 16 Oregon State 77, Nicholls State 3: Storm Woods ran for two touchdowns in the first quarter and No. 16 Oregon State put up its highest point total ever, routing Nicholls State 77-3 Saturday in a game postponed by Hurricane Isaac.

The Beavers surpassed their 76-0 win over Willamette in 1931.

Oregon State (9-3) started playing its substitutes against the lower-division Colonels in taking a 35-0 halftime lead. Markus Wheaton caught 12 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown and sat out the second half.

Officials from both schools decided to put off the Sept. 1 opener when the storm bore down on the Colonels’ campus in Thibodeaux, La.

The Beavers had a complete turnaround from their 3-9 finish last year. Oregon State is possibly headed to the Holiday Bowl in San Diego on Dec. 27, and representatives from that bowl and the Alamo Bowl were in attendance. The team will learn its destination today.

No. 25 Boise State 27, Nevada 21: Joe Southwick threw two touchdown passes to lead No. 25 Boise State to a 27-21 victory over Nevada Saturday, earning the Broncos a share of the Mountain West Conference title and ensuring their nation’s best seventh consecutive 10-win season.

D.J. Harper ran for 130 yards for Boise State (10-2, 7-1) and the Broncos’ defense put the clamps on a Nevada offense that was averaging 38 points per game.

Stefphon Jefferson ran for 139 yards and a touchdown and Cody Fajardo passed for 203 yards and ran for 81 for the Wolf Pack (7-5, 4-4), who lost four of their last five games after starting the season 6-1.

Matt Miller caught seven passes for 127 yards, including a 52-yard touchdown from Southwick that put Boise ahead late 24-7.