Bye Bye 'Bama, and a Heisman graveyard in Georgia

Confetti from a college football weekend

Georgia 27, Tennessee 13

— When former Vols’ quarterback Erik Ainge said Georgia’s Sanford Stadium crowd was “not loud and definitely not intimidating,” the betting line should have moved. Sure enough, the 92,746 in attendance brought enough racket to cause seven false start penalties for the Vols, now 8-1. which explains why a team that was averaging 49.4 points didn’t get a touchdown until the fourth quarter.

— Hendon Hooker came into Athens as the leading Heisman candidate and departed as one of many contenders. The Tennessee quarterback was sacked six times and completed only one pass longer than 17 yards. But then Oregon’s Bo Nix might have one hand on the Heisman if not for his encounter with the Bulldogs. He went 21 for 37 for 173 yards and two interceptions in a 49-3 opening loss.

— Instead, maybe Stetson Bennett IV deserves a trip to New York. The former walk-on won a national championship quarterbacking Georgia last year, and was 17 for 25 for 257, throwing two touchdowns and running for another. Expect Georgia to vault from third to first in the next College Football Playoff ranking.

LSU 32, Alabama 31 (OT)

— Alabama will fall short of the College Football Playoff field for the second time in nine seasons. The Tide has two losses and trails LSU and Ole Miss in the SEC West.

— Quarterback Jayden Daniels, the Arizona State transfer, streaked 25 yards into the end zone to bring LSU within one point in overtime, and coach Brian Kelly ordered a do-or-die 2-point conversion. Daniels hit Mason Taylor, the son of Dolphins’ Hall of Fame defensive end Jason Taylor and a true freshman who had caught a touchdown earlier, and the Tigers (7-2) continued to prove they aren’t the same team that lost to Florida State and was blown out at home by Tennessee.

— Bryce Young led three fourth-quarter drives that either put the Crimson Tide ahead or tied LSU, but two failed two-point conversions turned out to be critical.

Notre Dame 35, Clemson 14

— Clemson’s playoff hopes are also bleeding after the Tigers were dominated in South Bend. When Benjamin Morrison returned an interception 99 yards with 12:58 left, the Irish led Clemson 28-0.

— Notre Dame thundered for 5.6 yards per rush, and Logan Diggs and Audric Estime both exceeded 100 yards on the ground. The Tigers (8-1) were held to 90 yards and had a punt blocked for a touchdown.

— “They absolutely dominated us in every aspect of football,” said Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, mindful of how the committee will frown upon a loss to a 6-3 team that has lost to Marshall and Stanford. Meanwhile, the Irish should be 8-3 when they travel to USC and try to spread more playoff chaos.

TCU 34, Texas Tech 24

— TCU should benefit from the weekend shakeups. It moved to 9-0 with this win, although it trailed the visiting Red Raiders 17-13 going into the fourth quarter.

— Max Duggan threw TD passes to Emari Demercado and Derius Davis, and Kendre Miller scored as TCU scored 21 consecutive points. Miller has rushed for 100 yards or more in six of TCU’s last seven games. The Horned Frogs hogged the ball for 34 minutes, 39 seconds.

— Coach Sonny Dykes, who came over from SMU this season, is the first Big 12 coach to win the first nine games of his inaugural season.

Michigan State 23, Illinois 15

— In one of the many wind-swept games Saturday, Michigan State punter Bryce Baringer was the star. He averaged 49.6 yards per punt with no touchbacks, and made Illinois start four drives from inside the 20-yard-line, including one from the one-yard-line. Baringer knew the surroundings because he transferred from Illinois.

— The Spartans (4-5) responded after last week’s postgame brawls at Michigan that prompted coach Mel Tucker to suspend eight players.

— Chase Brown had 136 more rushing yards for Illinois (7-2) but the loss sets up next week’s game with visiting Purdue, which trails the Illini by one game in the Big Ten West.

SMU 77, Houston 63

— Tanner Mordecai tied an NCAA record with seven TD passes in the first half for SMU. Clayton Tune of Houston became the fourth Cougar quarterback to throw seven touchdowns in a game. The Mustangs scored touchdowns on their first nine possessions and punted once, Houston not at all.

— The 140 points is also an NCAA record for most points by two teams in regulation, breaking Pittsburgh’s 76-61 victory over Syracuse in 2016.

— On Feb. 27, Houston defeated SMU, 75-61, in basketball.

Kansas 37, Oklahoma State 16

— An epicurean day by Devin Neal produced 224 rush yards and 110 receiving yards as Kansas improved to 6-3 and became bowl eligible for the first time in 14 seasons.

— The collapse of Oklahoma State (6-3) continues, with four turnovers. The Cowboys didn’t have starting QB Spencer Sanders, but then Kansas is playing without its starter, Jalon Daniels. Oklahoma State has gien up 75 points to Kansas and Kansas State in the past two weeks.

— The Jayhawks have a chance to break a string of 14 consecutive losing seasons, a span that has featured five coaches. It is also the first time KU has won three Big 12 games since 2008.

North Carolina 31, Virginia 28

— The Tar Heels are 8-1, losing only to Notre Dame, and have won five consecutive road games for the first time since 1997.

— Quarterback Drake Maye is fifth nationally in total offense. At Virginia he rushed for 91 yards and threw for 293 yards and two touchowns. His brother Luke hit a jumper that beat Kentucky in 2017 and sent the Tar Heels to the Final Four, which they won.

— Josh Downs caught 15 passes for 166 yards for the Tar Heels, who must deal with Wake Forest and North Carolina State but are favored to get to the ACC Championship game.

Mount Union 34, John Carroll 28

— Mount Union, a Division III powerhouse for decades, clinched a tie for its 33rd Ohio Athletic Conference title by beating John Carroll, the alma mater of Don Shula, Bill Polian, Chargers coach Brandon Staley and Raiders coach Josh McDaniels.

— Quarterback Braxton Plunk now has 30 touchdowns with only three interceptions for the Purple Raiders.

— A national D-3 championship would be the 14th for the school in Alliance, Ohio. Mount Union has also finished second nine times. Nick Sirianni, coach of the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles, is a Mount Union alum.