No. 3 Oregon routs Arizona 51-13 to win Pac-12

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) Marcus Mariota threw for 303 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a career-high three scores, and No. 3 Oregon likely secured a playoff spot by overwhelming eighth-ranked Arizona 51-13 in the Pac-12 championship game Friday night. From College Football News : CBSSports.com - No. 3 Oregon routs Arizona 51-13 to win Pac-12

Oregon cements CFP status with Zona rout

Marcus Mariota threw for 303 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a career-high three scores, and No. 2 Oregon likely secured a playoff spot by overwhelming seventh-ranked Arizona 51-13 in the Pac-12 championship game Friday night. From ESPN.com - College Football - Oregon cements CFP status with Zona rout

Oregon claims Pac-12 title and first College Football Playoff spot

The first ticket to the College Football Playoff has been punched.

Oregon, which was ranked No. 2 in the playoff rankings, humiliated Arizona 51-13 in the Pac-12 championship game to claim it’s place in history as one of the top four teams to make the inaugural College Football Playoff.

Now, the Ducks will have to wait out Saturday’s games to learn where it will be seeded.

However, Friday’s performance should play well for the Ducks, especially after they settled down late in the second quarter and into the second half following a start that included three field goal attempts.

The Oregon offense started to roll behind quarterback Marcus Mariota, who might have sealed a Heisman win with 346 total yands and five total touchdowns, but it was the Oregon defense that really opened eyes. It limited Arizona to 25 total yards on 25 plays in the first half and knocked starting quarterback Anu Solomon out of the game.

The second half wasn’t much better for the Wildcats, who needed a busted coverage touchdown pass to Cayleb Jones to score its only points of the game. Otherwise, the Wildcats were stifled all evening.

Oregon ultimately outgained Arizona 627-199.

Oregon’s dominance was the antithesis of the types of games these two teams had played in their recent histories. Arizona won the last two contests with a strong defense that forced the Ducks into turnovers. That Wildcat defense was present early in the game, but as the offense continued to go three-and-out, the defense started to wear down and Oregon capitalized.

Not sure this win will give Oregon enough juice to jump No. 1 Alabama without help, but it certainly creates some conversation. Overall, Alabama has played the tougher schedule, but Oregon was able to avenge its only loss.

In the end, all that matters for Oregon is that it’s in. After stumbling a bit in each of the past few seasons and missing out on national championship opportunities, the Ducks are finally back to the top of the college football heap. Now, it’s a matter of what it does with the opportunity.

For more Oregon news, visit DuckSportsAuthority.com.

For more Arizona news, visit GOAZCats.com.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday

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From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Oregon claims Pac-12 title and first College Football Playoff spot

N Illinois routs Bowling Green 51-17 for MAC title

DETROIT (AP) Drew Hare threw for two touchdowns and ran for one, and Northern Illinois wrested the Mid-American Conference title from Bowling Green in emphatic fashion Friday night, beating the Falcons 51-17. From College Football News : CBSSports.com - N Illinois routs Bowling Green 51-17 for MAC title

No. 11 Kansas uses 17-0 run to stop Gators

Wayne Selden Jr. scored 21 points, Cliff Alexander added 12 off the bench and No. 11 Kansas used a massive second-half run to overcome an 18-point deficit and beat Florida 71-65 Friday night. From ESPN.com - College Basketball - No. 11 Kansas uses 17-0 run to stop Gators

Northern Illinois wins MAC title in 51-17 rout of Bowling Green

There would be no upset this time around.

One year ago, Bowling Green spoiled the BCS dreams of an undefeated Northern Illinois squad in the MAC Championship Game. The Huskies got some revenge Friday night at Ford Field in Detroit in a 51-17 demolition of the Falcons to win their third conference title in four years.

Using an extremely effective blend of run and pass, the Huskies racked up 552 yards of total offense while the defense forced four Bowling Green turnovers. Sophomore quarterback Drew Hare threw for 218 yards, ran for 60 yards and combined for three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing).

In addition to Hare’s strong performance, the Huskies rode the three-headed rushing attack of seniors Cameron Stingily and Akeem Hunt and sophomore Joel Bouagnon to reel off a whopping 334 yards on the ground. Stingily led the way with 116 yards and two scores while Daniels and Bougnon added 76 and 57 yards, respectively, completely wearing down Bowling Green’s defense as the game went on.

The final score could have been even more lopsided, too.

The Huskies twice settled for field goals deep in Bowling Green territory early in the first half and despite completely controlling the game in yardage, NIU’s lead was just 20-10 at halftime.

The second half was a different story.

NIU scored two touchdowns and a field goal on its first three possessions of the second half, ballooning the lead to 37-10. Meanwhile, the Huskies’ defense made life miserable for the Bowling Green offense.

Falcons’ sophomore quarterback James Knapke (12-of-21, 151 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT) struggled all night and was eventually replaced by freshman Cody Callaway late in the third. The switch made no difference as the Huskies added two more scores and grinded out the clock en route to a lopsided win.

The win is the seventh straight for coach Rod Carey’s Huskies to improve the team’s record to 11-2 heading into a bowl game. The GoDaddy Bowl seems like a likely destination for the Huskies, but there is a slim chance NIU could represent the Group of Five (AAC, C-USA, MAC, MWC and Sun Belt) in a College Football Playoff bowl game.

If No. 22 Boise State loses in Mountain West title game to Fresno State on Saturday, Northern Illinois could potentially emerge as the top-ranked team from the Group of Five conferences in the College Football Playoff selection committee’s final rankings. That would give NIU a berth to New Years bowl game.

In the program’s first season under Dino Babers, the loss drops Bowling Green to 7-6 on the season with a bowl game on the horizon.

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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

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From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Northern Illinois wins MAC title in 51-17 rout of Bowling Green

N. Illinois routs Bowling Green for MAC title

Drew Hare threw for two touchdowns and ran for one, and Northern Illinois wrested the Mid-American Conference title from Bowling Green in emphatic fashion Friday night, beating the Falcons 51-17. From ESPN.com - College Football - N. Illinois routs Bowling Green for MAC title