AUBURN, Ala. - Auburn fans blanketed the field from end zone to end zone just like the last time they got to celebrate a stirring Iron Bowl win.
This time, Jarrett Stidham, Kerryon Johnson and No. 6 Auburn didn't need a miraculous final play to unleash the celebration. It was a build up to the crescendo as the Tigers beat top-ranked Alabama in a dominating 26-14 win Saturday. Auburn earned a berth in next week's Southeastern Conference title game against No. 7 Georgia.
The Tigers, an afterthought earlier this season, now have their sights set on one of the four playoff spots. And Auburn coach Gus Malzahn made it clear his two-loss squad deserves a shot. One of his team's two defeats was to defending national champion Clemson, No. 3 at the time.
"We've got to win next week and that's going to be a handful," Malzahn said of his upcoming rematch with Georgia. "I don't know, them experts got it figured out. I don't think anybody else has played two No. 1 teams and a No. (3) team. Put up our schedule against anybody."
Auburn fans covered the field in orange and blue after the final play, creating a scene similar to 2013 when the fourth-ranked Tigers beat No. 1 Alabama on a last-play, 109-yard return of a missed field goal. The Tigers went on to the national title game but had lost the three Iron Bowls since. This was Auburn's biggest margin of victory in the Iron Bowl since winning 49-26 in 1969.
Stidham passed for 237 yards and ran for a fourth-quarter touchdown to set up a rematch with Georgia in the SEC championship game Dec. 2 with a playoff spot almost certainly on the line.
Auburn (10-2, 7-1 SEC, No. 6 CFP) mostly shut down the league's top scoring offense for their second win in three weeks over the top team in the playoff rankings. They won the Western Division a week after dispatching the Bulldogs with similar precision.
The Crimson Tide (11-1, 7-1) made a rare assortment of mistakes for a team that had appeared to be headed toward a shot at a fourth consecutive SEC title and playoff berth.
NO. 8 OHIO STATE 21, MICHIGAN 20 - At Ann Arbor, Mich., Dwayne Haskins replaced injured star J.T. Barrett in the third quarter and No. 8 Ohio State rallied to beat Michigan, the Buckeyes' sixth straight win in the rivalry.
The Buckeyes (10-2, 8-1 Big Ten) head to the conference championship game next week to face No. 5 Wisconsin, with hopes of making the College Football Playoff. The Wolverines (8-4, 5-4) have lost 13 of 14 to Ohio State, including the last three with coach Jim Harbaugh.
NO. 3 OKLAHOMA 59, WEST VIRGINIA 31 - At Norman, Okla., Baker Mayfield threw for 281 yards and three touchdowns after being punished for directing a lewd gesture toward the Kansas bench last week, and Oklahoma routed West Virginia to maintain its momentum heading into the Big 12 Championship game.
NO. 4 CLEMSON 34, SOUTH CAROLINA 10 - At Columbia, S.C., Kelly Bryant threw two touchdowns to Hunter Renfrow and Clemson kept on track for a third straight trip to the College Football Playoff with the victory over rival South Carolina.
NO. 5 WISCONSIN 31, MINNESOTA 0 - At Minneapolis, Alex Hornibrook threw three touchdown passes without an interception and Wisconsin, remained unbeaten by overwhelming rival Minnesota for its 14th straight victory over the Gophers.
NO. 7 GEORGIA 38, GEORGIA TECH 7 - At Atlanta, Sony Michel ran for 85 yards and a touchdown, Jake Fromm threw two touchdown passes and Georgia protected its playoff hopes.
NO. 12 PENN STATE 66, MARYLAND 3 - At College Park, Md., Trace McSorley threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score to cap an outstanding regular season and carry Penn State past Maryland.
NO. 17 MEMPHIS 70, EAST CAROLINA 13 - At Memphis, Tenn., Riley Ferguson threw for three touchdowns, Darrell Henderson scored twice and rushed for 122 yards and Memphis dominated in a tuneup for the American Athletic Conference title game.
NO. 18 OKLAHOMA STATE 58, KANSAS 17 - At Stillwater, Okla., Mason Rudolph passed for 438 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two scores in his final home game to lead Oklahoma State. Peyton Bender was 17 of 32 passing for 172 yards and two touchdowns for Kansas (1-11, 0-9).
NO. 19 LSU 45, TEXAS A&M 21 - At Baton Rouge, La., Danny Etling passed 347 yards and three touchdowns and LSU beat Texas A&M in the regular-season finale for both teams.
NO. 21 MICHIGAN STATE 40, RUTGERS 7 - At Piscataway, N.J., Brian Lewerke threw for a touchdown and ran for another and Michigan State held the ball for more than 47 minutes against Rutgers.
NO. 23 NORTHWESTERN 42, ILLINOIS 7 - At Champaign, Ill., Justin Jackson ran for 144 yards and a touchdown and Northwestern won its seventh straight, beating Illinois.
