Manziel, No. 15 A&M stun No. 1 Bama

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama: Before Oregon, Kansas State and Notre Dame took the field, they got some good news.
No. 15 Texas A&M upset No. 1 Alabama 29-24 on Saturday taking one less unbeaten team out of the race for the BCS championship game.
Johnny Manziel and the Aggies shook up the national title race in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, jumping out to a quick three-touchdown lead and then holding on at the end to Alabama’s 13-game winning streak.
The Southeastern Conference has won the last six BCS championships, but with Alabama losing and three other teams unbeaten, it will be tough for the SEC to even get in the game without help.
Kansas State made its case for No. 1 — in both the polls and the BCS rankings — with a thorough 23-10 victory at TCU. No. 4 Notre Dame methodically beat Boston College 21-6.
No. 2 Oregon, third in the BCS standings, routed California 59-17 late Saturday night.
Alabama would likely need to win out and have two of those three teams lose to reach the national title game.
No. 15 Texas A&M 29, No. 1 Alabama 24: In Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the Crimson Tide (9-1, 6-1) didn’t go quietly.
AJ McCarron nearly pulled off a second straight scintillating comeback. He threw one touchdown pass and motored the ball downfield before Deshazor Everett stepped in front of his fourth-down pass at the goal line with 1:36 left.
Manziel passed for 253 yards and rushed for 92 and led the Aggies to a 20-0 first quarter lead.
McCarron completed 21 of 34 passes for 309 yard but also was intercepted twice, ending his streak without getting picked off at 291 passes.
No. 2 Oregon 59 California 17: In Berkeley, California, Marcus Mariota overcame a brief injury to throw for a career-high 377 yards and tie a school record with six touchdown passes as Oregon made a case for the top ranking in the country by beating California.
The Ducks (10-0, 7-0 Pac-12) withstood injuries to its entire starting defensive line and brief absences by Mariota and star running back Kenjon Barner to extend the longest active winning streak in major college football to 13 games.
The win over California (3-8, 2-6) could be enough to move Oregon up to No. 1 after top-ranked Alabama lost earlier in the day 29-23 to No. 15 Texas A&M. Even more importantly, the Crimson Tide loss cleared one potential rival for a spot in the BCS title game, leaving Notre Dame and Kansas State as the only other major undefeated teams eligible for a bowl. The Ducks are currently third in the BCS rankings.
No. 3 Kansas State 23 TCU 10: In Fort Worth, Texas, Collin Klein ran for two touchdowns, a week after leaving the game early with an apparent head injury.
The Wildcats improved to 10-0 for only the second time under coach Bill Snyder, and moved within two wins of likely reaching their first BCS championship game.
Only a few minutes after the start of Kansas State’s game, and a rare turnover by Klein, SEC newcomer Texas A&M finished off its 29-24 victory at Alabama, the No. 1 team in the BCS standings and AP poll. The Aggies win gave their old Big 12 rivals at K-State a boost.
No. 4 Notre Dame 21 Boston College 6: In Boston, Everett Golson ran for a touchdown and threw for two more on Saturday night to help Notre Dame stay unbeaten.
Taking the field one hour after top-ranked Alabama lost to No. 15 Texas A&M, the Fighting Irish (10-0) remained in the hunt for a spot in the BCS title game. And a week after needing triple overtime — and a lot of luck — to get past unheralded Pittsburgh, Notre Dame eased past a longtime rival that had twice before spoiled its hopes of a No. 1 finish.
No. 5 Georgia 38 Auburn 0: In Auburn, Alabama, Aaron Murray passed for 208 yards and three touchdowns, freshman tailbacks Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall each ran for more than 100 yards and Georgia clinched a spot in the SEC championship game.
Georgia (9-1, 7-1 Southeastern Conference) was methodical in its dominating win. It scored the first shutout for either team in the series since the Bulldogs’ 28-0 win in 1976.
Auburn (2-8, 0-7 SEC) was held to 238 yards, including 57 yards rushing, as its disappointing season with embattled coach Gene Chizik suffered another embarrassing low.
No. 7 Florida 27, Louisiana-Lafayette 20: In Gainesville, Florida, Jelani Jenkins returned a blocked punt 36 yards for a touchdown with 2 seconds remaining and Florida rallied in the closing minutes to avoid a huge upset.
Florida (9-1) did little on offense most of the day and looked to be in serious trouble when quarterback Jeff Driskel left the game with an ankle injury.
The Rajin’ Cajuns (5-4) led 20-13 after Alonzo Harris’ 2-yard run and a blocked punt for a touchdown. But Jacoby Brissett rallied the Gators. Brissett found Jordan Reed down the middle for a 39-yard gain and then hit Quinton Dunbar for 3-yard score with 1:42 remaining.
ULL was content to play for overtime.
No. 9 LSU 37, No. 23 Mississippi State 17: In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Zach Mettenberger passed for 273 yards and two touchdowns, and LSU kept alive faint hope of a Southeastern Conference title.
Looking sharp a second straight week, Mettenberger completed 19 of 30 passes without an interception. His top target was Jarvis Landry, who had nine catches for 109 yards — both career highs — including a 19-yard touchdown to help the Tigers (8-2, 4-2 SEC) beat the Bulldogs (7-3, 3-3) for the 13th straight time. Mettenberger’s other scoring pass went to Spencer Ware, fullback J.C. Copeland scored on a 1-yard plunge and Craig Loston returned an interception 100 yards for a score.
No. 10 Clemson 45 Maryland 10: In Clemson, South Carolina, Tajh Boyd threw for 261 yards and three touchdowns as Clemson won its sixth straight and record 12th in a row at Death Valley.
Clemson (9-1, 6-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) had little trouble with the banged-up Terps (4-6, 2-4), who again started linebacker Shawn Petty at quarterback because of season-ending injuries to their four scholarship passers.
The Tigers ended things early as Boyd passed for a 13-yard touchdown to Adam Humphries and a 28-yard score to DeAndre Hopkins.
In between, Clemson defensive end Corey Crawford brought a Petty fumble 16 yards for a touchdown as part of his team’s 21-point first quarter.

No. 11 Syracuse 45, Lousville 26: In Sycacuse, New York, Ryan Nassib threw for 246 yards and three touchdowns, Jerome Smith ran for 144 yards and Syracuse handed Louisville its first loss of the season.
Playing in the last home game of his SU career, Nassib directed an offense that gained 524 total yards. Nassib went 15 of 23 and passed Donovan McNabb for second on the school’s career yards passing list.
No. 12 South Carolina 38, Arkansas 20: In Columbia, South Carolina: Connor Shaw threw for two touchdowns and ran for another score for South Carolina.
Shaw was 15 of 23 for 279 yards for the Gamecocks (8-2, 6-2 Southeastern Conference), who finished with six league wins for only the second time in 20 years in the SEC.
Arkansas (4-6, 2-4) will now have to beat both Mississippi State and LSU to make a bowl game after starting the season No. 10 in the country.