Clemson assistant named as Auburn’s co-DC

AP

Three days after adding Ellis Johnson to his new Auburn coaching staff, Gus Malzahn has given the new coordinator some co-defensive help.

Malzahn announced via a release that he has hired Charlie Harbison as the Tigers’ co-defensive coordinator.  Harbison will also serve as AU’s defensive backs coach.

“Charlie is an outstanding coach and recruiter and we’re excited to have him join our staff,” Malzahn said. “He’s very familiar with Coach Ellis Johnson, having coached together on two different staffs, which will be a tremendous asset to our defense. He is a true professional and one of the class guys in college coaching.”

Harbison comes the The Plains after spending the past four years at Clemson.  He also has extensive experience in the SEC, serving on staffs at Alabama (1998-2000; 2003-06), LSU (2001-02) and Mississippi State (2007-08).

“I’m looking forward to joining Coach Gus Malzahn’s staff at Auburn,” Harbison said. “Having coached against Auburn on several occasions, I’m very familiar with the great success and tradition associated with the program. This is a tremendous opportunity for me and my family.”

Harbison is the third assistant added by Malzahn, joining Johnson and offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee.

(Photo credit: Clemson athletics)

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The first of the major college football awards was presented on Sunday night as Alabama’s C.J. Mosley was named the winner of the 2013 Butkus Award, which goes annually to the nation’s top linebacker.

Mosley is the third Crimson Tide player to win the Butkus, joining Derrick Thomas (1988) and Rolando McClain (2009).

The senior beat out fellow finalists Anthony Barr of UCLA, Khalil Mack of Buffalo, Ryan Shazier of Ohio State and Shayne Skov of Stanford.

“This year’s college linebacker class was among the best history. Mosley’s combination of instincts, range, playmaking ability, on-field leadership and work ethic distinguished his performance,” the 51-member Butkus Award committee announced in a statement. “His selfless contributions on special teams and in the community speak to his strength of character and support the Butkus Award mission.”

The great Dick Butkus himself gave the award to Mosley at the Alabama team banquet.

Mosley led the Tide with 102 tackles. He also added nine tackles for loss, five pass breakups and a forced fumble.

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The regular season is over.

Bowl season is here.

Here’s the lineup for all 35 bowls. We won’t miss a single one.

Dec. 21

Gildan New Mexico
Washington (6-6) vs. Colorado State (7-6)

Royal Purple Las Vegas
Fresno State (11-1) vs. USC (9-4)

Famous Idaho Potato 
Buffalo (8-4) vs. San Diego State (7-5)

R+L Carriers New Orleans
Tulane (7-5) vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (8-4)

Dec. 23

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s St. Petersburg
East Carolina (9-3) vs. Ohio (7-5)

Dec. 24

Sheraton Hawaii
Boise State (8-4) vs. Oregon State (6-6)

Dec. 26

Little Caesars Pizza
Pittsburgh (6-6) vs. Bowling Green (10-3)

S.D. County Credit Union Poinsettia
Utah State (8-5) vs. Northern Illinois (12-1)

Dec. 27

Military Bowl Presented By Northrop Grumman
Marshall (9-4) vs. Maryland (7-5)

Texas
Syracuse (6-6) vs. Minnesota (8-4)

Fight Hunger
BYU (8-4) vs. Washington (8-4)

Dec. 28

New Era Pinstripe
Rutgers (6-6) vs. Notre Dame (8-4)

Belk
Cincinnati (9-3) vs. North Carolina (6-6)

Russell Athletic
Miami (9-3) vs. Louisville (11-1)

Buffalo Wild Wings
Michigan (7-5) vs. Kansas State (7-5)

Dec. 30

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces
Middle Tennessee (8-4) vs. Navy (7-4)

Franklin American Mortgage Music City
Ole Miss (7-5) vs. Georgia Tech (7-5)

Valero Alamo
Oregon (10-2) vs. Texas (8-4)

National University Holiday
Arizona State (10-3) vs. Texas Tech (7-5)

Dec. 31

AdvoCare V100
Arizona (7-5) vs. Boston College (7-5)

Hyundai Sun
Virginia Tech (8-4) vs. UCLA (9-3)

AutoZone Liberty
Rice (10-3) vs. Mississippi State (6-6)

Chick-fil-A
Duke (10-3) vs. Texas A&M (8-4)

Jan. 1

TaxSlayer.com Gator
Nebraska (8-4) vs. Georgia (8-4)

Heart of Dallas
UNLV (7-5) vs. North Texas (8-4)

Capital One
Wisconsin (9-3) vs. South Carolina (10-2)

Outback
Iowa (8-4) vs. LSU (9-3)

Rose Bowl Game presented by VIZIO
Stanford (11-2) vs. Michigan State (12-1)

Tostitos Fiesta
UCF (11-1) vs. Baylor (11-1)

Jan. 2

Allstate Sugar
Oklahoma (10-2) vs. Alabama (11-1)

Jan. 3

Discover Orange
Clemson (10-2) vs. Ohio State (12-1)

AT&T Cotton
Oklahoma State (10-2) vs. Missouri (11-2)

Jan. 4

BBVA Compass
Vanderbilt (8-4) vs. Houston (8-4)

Jan. 5

GoDaddy
Arkansas State (7-5) vs. Ball State (10-2)

Jan. 6

VIZIO BCS National Championship
Florida State (13-0) vs. Auburn (12-1)

It’s the end of an era.

The very last BCS rankings were revealed on Sunday and, as expected, the championship game will be played between No. 1 Florida State and No. 2 Auburn. The Seminoles secured their berth this past Saturday with a win over Duke while Auburn did so in the SEC championship game Saturday night.

It’s FSU’s fourth BCS title game appearance and first since 2000. It’s Auburn’s second appearance in the past four seasons.

Alabama finished third in the rankings and will be heading to the Sugar Bowl to take on Oklahoma. Michigan State and Stanford finished fourth and fifth, respectively, and will face each other in the Rose Bowl. Baylor placed sixth and will take on No. 15 UCF in the Fiesta Bowl. No. 7 Ohio State, which just missed out on the title game, will go to the Orange Bowl as a consolation and take on No. 12 Clemson.

The SEC led the way with four teams ranked in the top 10 of the final BCS standings. Here’s the top 10 plus the five BCS bowl matchups to be played in January:

1. Florida State, .996

2. Auburn, .964

3. Alabama, .906

4. Michigan State, .860

5. Stanford, .819

6. Baylor, .772

7. Ohio State, .771

8. Missouri, .726

9. South Carolina, .715

10. Oregon, .581

BCS National Title Game – No. 1 Florida State vs. No. 2 Auburn
Sugar Bowl – No. 3 Alabama vs. No. 11 Oklahoma
Rose Bowl – No. 5 Stanford vs. No. 4 Michigan State
Fiesta Bowl – No. 6 Baylor vs. No. 15 UCF
Orange Bowl – No. 12 Clemson vs. No. 7 Ohio State

AP

Connecticut might be looking to the Big Ten to fill its head coaching position.

The Huskies have requested an interview with Michigan State defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi, according to a report on Sunday from CBSSports.com. The request was submitted before the regular season ended and the interview could take place this week.

Narduzzi ran perhaps the country’s best defense in 2013. His Spartan unit led the nation in total defense and rushing defense and was in the top three in scoring defense and pass efficiency defense. He’s emerged as a hot name for several head coaching positions, so he may get to pick his school or choose to stay with Michigan State.

Other candidates for the Connecticut vacancy reportedly include UCLA offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone, Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster and Ball State head coach Pete Lembo.

AP

Wake Forest interviewed Bowling Green head coach Dave Clawson on Sunday afternoon as the Demon Deacons continued their search for a replacement for former head coach Jim Grobe, Sports Illustrated reported.

Apparently, Bowling Green’s 47-27 romp over Northern Illinois in the MAC title game on Friday night has made quite an impression with Wake:

Demon Deacons athletic director Ron Wellman attended Bowling Green’s 47-27 blowout win over Northern Illinois in the MAC title game in Detroit on Friday night. The victory gave the school its first MAC football championship since 1992, and it spoiled the Huskies’ BCS bowl chances.

The result also provided some momentum for Clawson’s candidacy, as he led the Falcons to a 10-3 campaign in 2013 and has built a reputation as a meticulous program builder.

At this point, Ball State coach Pete Lembo is considered a co-favorite, along with Lawson, for the job. Lembo interviewed last Thursday.

Wake Forest is expected to announced its decision on Monday.

AP

A little over three months after stunning Kansas State in the season opener, Craig Bohl is taking his coaching game to the next level… literally.

Following up on reports that began surfacing Saturday, Bohl confirmed during his weekly coach’s television show Sunday that he will be leaving North Dakota State to take over at Wyoming.  The Cowboys subsequently confirmed that Bohl will be introduced at a press conference that is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET tonight.

On his show this morning, Bohl said there’s never a perfect time for a coaching change and that he’s taken the Bison program as far as he can.

Bohl’s successor will certainly have large shoes to fill.  In his 11 seasons at the school, the Bison have gone 101-32 and won the last two FCS championships.

The Bison are in the FCS playoffs again this season and advanced to the quarterfinals Saturday.  Bohl indicated that he will continue to coach the team through its latest playoff run.

Bohl will replace Dave Christensen, who was fired last week after five years with the Cowboys.

AP

Kyle Flood‘s job as Rutgers head coach appears to be safe (for now), but the same reportedly can’t be said for a trio of assistants on his coaching staff.

Citing a source inside the RU football program, the Newark Star-Ledger is reporting that Flood has dismissed defensive coordinator Dave Cohen, quarterbacks coach Rob Spence and offensive line coach Damian Wroblewski.  An official announcement from the school on any staff changes could come as early as today.

Cohen was at the center of a controversy involving former defensive back Jevon Tyree, who accused the coordinator of bullying prior to leaving the program this past spring.  It didn’t help the coach’s case that his defense in 2013 allowed more total yards of offense than all but two other teams in the Scarlet Knights’ history.

All three of the dismissed assistants had been with the program for the past two seasons.

The upheaval on Flood’s staff comes as the Knights wrapped up their final season in the AAC/Big East ahead of its move to the Big Ten in 2014.

UPDATED 4:58 p.m. ET: Rutgers has confirmed that defensive coordinator Dave Cohen, quarterbacks coach Rob Spence and offensive line coach Damian Wroblewski will not return in 2014.

AP

Everett Golson‘s long road back to Notre Dame is expected to continue at some point this week as the erstwhile Irish quarterback will be readmitted to the university.

Unexpectedly, his return won’t include working with his teammates in the run-up to the program’s postseason game.

Sunday afternoon, head coach Brian Kelly revealed that Golson will not participate in bowl practices ahead of the Irish’s appearance in the Pinstripes Bowl against Rutgers.  Back in late October, Kelly had stated that Golson would practice with the team if he were to be readmitted to the school.

Circumstances, however, appear to have changed.

“We’re just not going to have the time and place to get him into practice,” Kelly said after practice Sunday. “He may join us in New York for a few days.”

In late May, Golson was suspended from the university for what was described as an academic violation.  Speculation subsequently surfaced that cheating was involved, with Golson confirming the rumors by acknowledging he had cheated on a final exam.

Golson, in his first season as the Irish’s No. 1 quarterback in 2012, started 11 of the 12 games in which he played in leading Notre Dame to its first unbeaten regular season in more than two decades and a spot in the BCS title game.  With Tommy Rees taking over under center this season due to Golson’s suspension, the Irish are 8-4.

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It took 15 weeks worth of games and 16 polls, but there’s finally some unanimity among coaches as to who is the best team in the country in 2013.

In the penultimate USA Today coaches’ poll released Sunday afternoon, Florida State, the only remaining undefeated team at the FBS level, was ranked No. 1 on all 62 of the ballots cast by the coaches involved in this year’s poll.  The Seminoles claimed 58 first-place votes last week, Ohio State four.

With a loss that snapped its winning streak at 24 straight, the Buckeyes dropped four to No. 6.  That’s OSU’s lowest showing of the 2013 season, which began with the Buckeyes ranked No. 2 in both the coaches’ and Associated Press‘ polls behind No. 1 Alabama.  The Tide moved up to No. 3 from No. 4 thanks to the Buckeyes’ loss.

As expected, one-loss Auburn, which claimed its first SEC title since 2010 Saturday a week after its stunning last-second win over season-long No. 1 ‘Bama, slid into both the No. 2 slot and an unofficial spot in the BCS championship game.  Missouri, which came into the SEC title game No. 5, exited at No. 9.

After handing the Buckeyes its first loss since the 2011 postseason, Michigan State jumped four spots to No. 4.  That tied for the second-biggest upward climb of the week along with Texas A&M (No. 25 to No. 21).  Oklahoma, coming off a road win over Oklahoma State that could very well put it in a BCS bowl, jumped from No. 15 to No. 10.  The Cowboys fell seven to No. 13 after the loss, the biggest tumble of the weekend.

The rest of the Top Ten consists of Baylor (No. 5, from No. 7), Stanford (No. 7, from No. 10) and South Carolina (No. 8, from No. 7).

Since an Oct. 18 win over then-unbeaten Louisville, UCF — whose only loss this season was to the Gamecocks — has been consistently ranked behind the Cardinals in the coaches’ Top 25 despite the head-to-head win and both carrying just a single loss.  Magically, the Knights leapfrogged the Cardinals in the final poll of the regular season.  Better late than never on the accountability front, I guess.

Georgia (No. 24) and Miami (No. 25) are the only new entrants after Week 15, replacing No. 23 Cincinnati and No. 24 Texas.

Of course, the SEC led all conferences with seven teams in the Top 25, with the ACC and Pac-12 next with four apiece.  The Big Ten and Big 12 each had three teams represented.

Shortly after Rice’s win over Marshall in the Conference USA championship game, David Bailiff officially suffered a rather important loss to his Owls’ coaching staff.

As had been rumored for the better part of a week, Kansas announced that Owls offensive coordinator John Reagan has accepted the same position with the Jayhawks.  Reagan will also serve as KU’s offensive line coach.

Reagan will replace former OL coach Tim Grunhard, who the school announced in late November would be leaving Charlie Weis’ KU staff to spend more time with his family.

Weis had served as his own coordinator his first two seasons in Lawrence.  In 2011 and 2012, the Jayhawks finished 115th and 118th in scoring offense, 93rd and 117th in total offense.

“When Tim told me his thoughts, I started searching for a replacement with the hopes of finding someone with Kansas ties capable of coordinating an offense,” said Weis in a statement. “My search brought me to John Reagan. John not only coached at KU, but his kids still reside in Lawrence. He has a great reputation as an offensive line coach, but also has received accolades for coordinating the offense at Rice.

“John immediately takes over for Tim and will hit the recruiting trail for offensive linemen. He will serve as both the offensive coordinator and the offensive line coach. I would like to welcome John Reagan back to the Jayhawk family.”

Reagan served as KU’s offensive line coach and run-game coordinator under Mark Mangino before moving on to the Owls in 2010.  Under Reagan this season, the Owls are currently 16th in rushing with 240.2 yards per game.

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UConn’s win in its regular-season finale not so unexpectedly turned out to be the final collegiate game for one of its top performers on the defensive side of the ball.

Immediately following the Huskies’ 45-10 win over Memphis, linebacker Yawin Smallwood announced that he is foregoing his final season of eligibility and will make himself available for the April draft.  Smallwood said he will begin a search for an agent; once that happens, there will be opportunity for the player to change his mind prior to the mid-January deadline.

“I will go ahead and enter the NFL Draft,” Smallwood said. “It’s for real. I am happy and a dream come true. This is when the work starts. It’s a job now and I have to become the best football player I can be.“

Smallwood finished 2013 leading the Huskies in tackles (118) and sacks (four).  He was second on the team in tackles for loss with 9.5.

AP

With all the games now played before the Heisman vote is due on Monday, here are the final statistics of the leading contenders:

(in alphabetical order)

Tajh Boyd, QB, Clemson: 3,473 passing yards, 29 TDs, 9 INTs, 67.6%, 166.60 passer rating, 284 rush yards, 9 TDs

3,757 total yards, 38 touchdowns, 7.4 yards per play, team record: 10-2

Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville: 3,523 passing yards, 28 TDs, 4 INTs, 70.2%, 169.73 passer rating, 54 rush yards

3,577 total yards, 28 touchdowns, 8.2 yards per play, team record: 11-1

Ka’Deem Carey, RB, Arizona: 1,716 rushing yards, 5.33 yards per carry, 17 touchdowns, 156 ypg, 26 catches, 173 yards, 1 TD

1,889 all-purpose yards, 18 touchdowns, 5.4 yards per play, team record: 7-5

Derek Carr, QB, Fresno State: 4,866 yards, 48 TDs, 7 INTs, 70.1%, 161.51 passer rating, 117 rush yards, 2 TDs

4,983 total yards, 50 touchdowns, 7.8 yards per play, team record: 11-1

Aaron Donald, DT, Pittsburgh: 54 tackles (41 solo), 26.5 tackles for loss for 130 yards, 10 sacks for 73 yards, 2 DFL, 4 FF

1 kick block, 16 quarterback hurries, team record: 6-6

Jordan Lynch, QB, Northern Illinois: 2,676 passing yards, 23 TDs, 7 INTs, 63.1%, 140.84 rating, 1,881 rush yards, 22 TDs

4,557 total yards, 45 touchdowns, 7.1 yards per play, team record: 12-1

AJ McCarron, QB, Alabama: 2,676 passing yards, 26 TDs, 5 INTs, 67.6%, 165.88 passer rating, 21 rush yards.

2,687 total yards, 26 touchdowns, 8.2 yards per play, team record: 11-1

Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M: 3,732 passing yards, 33 TDs, 13 INTs, 69.1%, 170.43 passer rating, 686 rush yards, 8 TDs

4,418 total yards, 41 touchdowns, 8.4 yards per play, team record: 8-4

Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon: 3,412 passing yards, 30 TDs,4 INTs, 63.1%, 167.96 passer rating, 582 rush yards, 9 TDs

3,994 total yards, 39 touchdowns, 9.1 yards per play, team record: 10-2

Braxton Miller, QB, Ohio State: 1,860 passing yards, 22 TDs, 5 INTs, 63.2%, 159.3 passer rating, 1,033 rush yards, 10 TDs

2,893 total yards, 32 touchdowns, 7.6 yards per play, team record: 12-1

Bryce Petty, QB, Baylor: 3,844 passing yards, 30 TDs, 2 INTs, 61.8%, 179.18 passer rating, 192 rush yards, 11 TDs

4,036 total yards, 41 touchdowns, 9.2 yards per play, team record: 11-1

Andrew Williams, RB, Boston College: 2,102 rushing yards, 6.4 yards per carry, 17 touchdowns, 175.2 rushing yards per game

2,102 all-purpose yards, 6.4 yards per play, team record: 7-5

Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State: 3,820 passing yards, 38 TDs, 10 INTs., 67.9%, 190.05 passer rating, 190 rush yards, 4 TDs

4,010 total yards, 42 touchdowns, 9.4 yards per play, team record: 13-0

AP

Derek Carr threw for 404 yards and three touchdowns and the Fresno State defense stepped up to the plate with nine sacks to lead the No. 23 Bulldogs to a 24-17 victory over Utah State in the first-ever Mountain West Conference title game on Saturday night.

FSU finishes 11-1, while Utah State falls to 8-5.

Carr’s first two touchdowns sparked FSU to a 17-0 lead, but Jake Doughty’s 86-yard return of a Josh Quezada fumble with seconds to play in the first half made the score 17-7 in favor of the Bulldogs. Carr’s third touchdown extended FSU’s lead to 24-7 in the third quarter and it looked like the Bulldogs would cruise to the win.

Things looked even more bleak for the Aggies when starting quarterback Darell Garretson was knocked out of the game on a sack with USU trying to finish off a drive deep in FSU territory early in the fourth quarter. Garretson — himself filling in for the injured Chuckie Keeton — was replaced by junior Craig Harrison. But the Aggies soon scored on Bruce Natson’s 10-yard touchdown run and the lead was 24-14 with 12 minutes to play.

Then the Aggies recovered the onside kick and things really started to get interesting.

Harrison drove the Aggies 35 yards in seven plays, leading to Nick Diaz’ 20-yard field goal. Suddenly, the score was 24-17 with plenty of time left. That was as close as it got, but the Bulldogs had some nervous moments before time expired.

Namely, USU stopped FSU on fourth down inside Aggie territory on its final two drives of the game (barring the one by the Bulldogs to drain the last few seconds off the clock). The last time came on a questionable decision by FSU coach Tim DeRuyter to pass up a makeable field goal to go for the first down at the USU 29 yard line. Quezada was stopped cold and USU took over with a chance to send the game to overtime.

The Aggies drove to the Bulldog 39, but Harrison’s final pass was intercepted by Dalen Jones on the FSU 17 yard line with 44 seconds to play.

Despite the loss, USU shouldn’t hang its heads. After all, the Aggies weren’t supposed to get this far after losing their star, Keeton. But they persevered and showed they weren’t just a one-man team.

Kudos to the Bulldogs defense, too, which gave up 304 total yards to the Aggies just one week after allowing 736 to San Jose State. While the loss to the Spartans will sting for a while, FSU finished with its best record since also going 11-1 in 1989. DeRuyter is 20-5 in his two seasons in Fresno and, if the school can keep him around, this should remain a program on the rise.

The final BCS rankings and matchups for the BCS games won’t be officially announced until Sunday night.

Thanks to Ohio State’s loss and barring some successful, last-minute backroom politicking, however, the marquee postseason games are all but set in stone.

First and foremost, top-ranked Florida State and third-ranked (for now) Auburn will square off in the BCS title game, scheduled for Jan. 6 in Pasadena’s iconic Rose Bowl.  The Seminoles are the lone remaining undefeated team in the country, having bulldozed its way through its 2013 schedule to the combined tune of 689-139.  The SEC champion Tigers are just one year removed from a winless season in conference play that ended with Gene Chizik getting booted into the unemployment coaching line just two years removed from AU’s last BCS title.

The Rose Bowl, armed with agreements with the Big Ten and Pac-12, is set as well, with 12-1 Michigan State and 11-2 Stanford, each winners of their respective league’s championship games Saturday, set for the New Year’s Day game.

That leaves the Fiesta, Orange and Sugar bowls with spots up for grabs, although those are all but officially filled as well.

For the final year of the BCS, the picking pecking order will go Orange, Sugar and Fiesta.  The first two will lose their conference champ tie-ins to the BCS title game, with the Orange getting the first pick of a replacement ahead of the Sugar in addition to the first at-large selection.

The Orange Bowl, according to various bowl officials and media outlets, appear poised to select 12-1 Ohio State and 10-2 Clemson for the Jan. 3 game.  The Buckeyes, despite the loss in the Big Ten title game, are still an attractive selection given their national brand and how their fans travel, while the Tigers will benefit from the ACC/Orange Bowl relationship cultivated over many years.

Alabama, by virtue of a top-4 finish in the final BCS rankings — the 11-1 Tide was No. 4 entering Week 15 — is guaranteed a spot in a BCS bowl, which by most every projection will be the Sugar Bowl.  The opponent, though, is the biggest BCS uncertainty remaining.  10-2 Oklahoma is the name most mentioned, thanks in large part to the Big 12/SEC/Sugar/Champions Bowl agreement moving forward in the new College Football Playoff.  The Sooners also must finish inside the top-14 in the final BCS rankings, though.  Another possibility?  10-2 Oregon, although there is concern as to how the Ducks’ fan base would travel to New Orleans.

The Fiesta Bowl is contractually obligated to take the Big 12 champion, meaning 11-1 Baylor is guaranteed to fill one of that postseason game’s spots.  Because the AAC is guaranteed a BCS berth, and because the Fiesta Bowl gets the last selection behind the Orange and Sugar, the American champion UCF (11-1) will head to the desert for a date with the Bears.

(Writer’s note: under BCS guidelines, no conference can have more than two of its teams play in a BCS bowl in any one year.)

Below are CFT’s projections for the five BCS games, although the Sugar Bowl is most decidedly to be determined:

VIZIO BCS CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Jan. 6, 8:30 p.m. ET
Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.

No. 1 Florida State vs. No. 3 Auburn

ROSE BOWL GAME PRESENTED BY VIZIO
Jan. 1, 5 p.m. ET
Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.

No. 7 Stanford vs. No. 10 Michigan State

TOSTITOS FIESTA BOWL
Jan. 1, 8:30 p.m. ET
University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.

No. 9 Baylor vs. No. 16 UCF

ALLSTATE SUGAR BOWL
Jan. 2, 8:30 p.m. ET
Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, LA

No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 18 Oklahoma

DISCOVER ORANGE BOWL
Jan. 3, TBD
Sun Life Stadium, Miami, Fla.

No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 13 Clemson

AP

All the campaigning, all the stumping can cease.  And Auburn, direct your thanks and/or alcoholic beverages to the general direction of East Lansing.

Ohio State’s 24-game winning streak?  Laying in tatters on the Lucas Oil Stadium turf.  Ohio State’s spot in the BCS title game?  Gone, thanks to a Michigan State team that simply refused to cower in the face of the mighty Buckeyes, with the Spartans pulling away late for a 34-24 win and the Big Ten title.

Both Ohio State finish the 2013 season at 12-1, but are headed in much different directions.

Next up for Sparty is a New Year’s Day date in Pasadena against Pac-12 champion Stanford in the 100th edition of the Rose Bowl.  For the Buckeyes?  A tentative date in the Orange Bowl, likely against Clemson.

Sending the Spartans to their first Rose Bowl in 26 years was a game that featured three very distinct runs.  MSU jumped out to a 17-0 lead midway through the second quarter, only to see the Buckeyes roar back with 24 straight over the next 20 minutes or so to take both the lead and momentum.  MSU, however, ripped off the final 17 points to send OSU to its first loss of the Urban Meyer era.

Ohio State had a chance late when, trailing by three with just under six minutes remaining, a blocked punt gave them possession in MSU territory.  A fourth-down stop by the stingy Spartan defense handed the ball back to the MSU offense, which put the final dagger in OSU’s season with a 61-yard drive that was capped by Jeremy Langford‘s 26-yard touchdown run with just over two minutes remaining.

Connor Cook, who went 24-40 for 304 yards and three touchdowns, was named the Championship Game MVP.

While not yet officially official, the OSU loss means that Auburn, coming off a three-win season that saw it lose every SEC game it played, will play Florida State for the BCS title in, oddly enough, Pasadena.  The Seminoles, currently installed as a 10-point title-game favorite, was ranked No. 11 in the Associated Press preseason poll; not only were the Tigers unranked, they didn’t receive a single vote.