After last weeks chaotic and unexpected results, the top?College Football Playoff contenders mostly held serve on Saturday. (No. 5 Louisville was another matter on Thursday night.)Heading into the final week of the regular season, we have a pretty good idea how most of the Power 5 conference races are going to shake out. Three of them look a lot like they did last season.No. 1 Alabama will play No. 23 Florida in the SEC championship game for the second straight season and the ninth time overall. No. 4 Clemson will be the favorite in the ACC championship game and will play Virginia Tech -- as long as the Hokies defeat rival Virginia in next weeks regular-season finale. No. 9 Oklahoma continues to sweep through the Big 12 -- the Sooners demolished No. 14 West Virginia 56-28 on the road -- and will win a second straight Big 12 title with a victory over No. 11 Oklahoma State in the Dec. 3 Bedlam game.The Big Ten might yet prove to be a wild card. All eyes have turned to No. 2 Ohio State versus No. 3 Michigan next week, but its not a foregone conclusion that the Buckeyes and Wolverines are playing for a place in Indianapolis. If Ohio State beats Michigan and No. 8 Penn State beats Michigan State at home, the Nittany Lions will win the Big Ten East.?Theres plenty of intrigue out West, where the Pac-12 is set up for a dramatic final weekend.Its winner take all in the North, where No. 6 Washington and No. 22 Washington State will play for a place in the championship game in Fridays Apple Cup. The Huskies bounced back after last weeks loss to USC with a comfortable win over Arizona State and remain in the CFP hunt. The Cougars had their eight-game winning streak snapped in a loss at Colorado, but theyve looked the part of a Pac-12 contender during league play.The Pac-12 South will be contested by one of the hottest teams in the country, No. 13 USC, and this seasons feel-good story, No. 10 Colorado. The Trojans were left for dead after a 1-3 start but have reeled off seven straight wins after beating UCLA 36-14. They end the regular season against Notre Dame and can only hope Colorado loses to Utah next Saturday. USC owns the tiebreaker over Colorado, so the Trojans would win the South if the Utes beat the Buffaloes.?It means the world to go out there and win, keep our hopes alive, Colorado quarterback Sefo Liufau said. Its more fun than anything. Weve been in close games for a long time now.Time might be up for Charlie Strong, Ed OrgeronAccording to industry sources, there isnt expected to be a tremendous amount of turnover among FBS coaches this offseason. But two very big dominoes -- LSU and Texas -- are much closer to falling after Saturdays results.?Texas coach Charlie Strong is probably finished, after the Longhorns were stunned 24-21 in overtime at Kansas. When asked during an uncomfortable postgame news conference how the loss to the Jayhawks would affect his future, Strong said, I have no idea.Truth be told, its probably the best outcome for both sides. Even if Strong had led the Longhorns to a winning record and a bowl game, he would have entered next season under the same pressure he faced the past two seasons. Thats no way to try to build a winning program. The Longhorns are expected to target Houston coach Tom Herman. What isnt known is whether the Longhorns will swing big again to try to lure a top candidate to Austin, namely Alabamas Nick Saban or Florida States Jimbo Fisher, before they settle on hiring Herman.Fisher and Herman also figure to be top candidates at LSU, where the Tigers have probably reached the point where they cant retain interim coach Ed Orgeron next season. LSU won three straight games under Orgeron after former coach Les Miles was fired on Sept. 25. But now the Tigers have dropped two of their past three games, including an ugly 16-10 loss to No. 23 Florida at home on Saturday, when the Tigers committed several of the same mistakes that led to Miles demise.?Were not going to lie, Orgeron said. We thought we were going to win the football game. We didnt execute right, and they got to take it away from us; it would have been a great victory for all of them.Fisher is believed to be LSUs No. 1 target, but its unclear whether he would be willing to leave the Seminoles, who might be built to be a playoff contender the next few seasons. If Fisher isnt interested, Herman, Colorados Mike MacIntyre and North Carolinas Larry Fedora might be considered at LSU.Speaking of Miles, he has emerged as a potential candidate at Baylor, which lost its fourth consecutive game under interim coach Jim Grobe on Saturday -- a 42-21 final against Kansas State at home. Fedora, SMUs Chad Morris and ex-San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Singletary, a former Baylor All-America linebacker, are also being considered, according to sources close to the search.Elsewhere, Oregons Mark Helfrich guided the Ducks to a 30-28 upset at No. 12 Utah, scoring the winning touchdown on Justin Herberts 17-yard pass to Darren Carrington II with two seconds left.Is it too little too late for Helfrich? Even if the Ducks win at Oregon State in next weeks Civil War, they will finish only 5-7 and miss the postseason for the first time since 2004. Or does the upset of the Utes give Oregon decision-makers enough hope that Helfrich can turn things around? He would be owed an $11.7 million buyout if hes fired.Thats the nature of the beast, Helfrich told reporters. Ten percent love you regardless, 10 percent hate you regardless and 80 percent swing vote.Playoff teams after Week 121. Alabama: The Crimson Tide rolled to a 31-3 victory over FCS foe Chattanooga, but coach Nick Saban said he was embarrassed by his teams performance in the first half. Freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts completed 15 of 21 passes for 136 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 68 yards.2. Michigan: The Wolverines trailed Indiana in the third quarter but scored the final 14 points in a 20-10 win at the snow-covered Big House. Michigan was playing without injured quarterback Wilton Speight for the first time and relied heavily on tailback DeVeon Smith, who ran 23 times for 158 yards and two scores. Michigan can win the Big Ten East by knocking off rival Ohio State on the road next week.3. Clemson: After suffering their first defeat of the season last week, the Tigers bounced back with an impressive 35-13 win over Wake Forest to claim the ACC Atlantic Division title. Tailback Wayne Gallman ran 22 times for 161 yards and one touchdown. The Tigers host rival South Carolina in next weeks regular-season finale.4. Ohio State: It wasnt pretty, but the Buckeyes survived at Michigan State, 17-16. The Spartans had derailed Ohio States national championship hopes in two of the past three seasons, beating the Buckeyes in the 2013 Big Ten title game and then late in the 2015 regular season. The Buckeyes can remain in the CFP hunt by beating Michigan at the Horseshoe next week, but they still need Penn State to lose in order to win the Big Ten East.Next four in contention1. Washington: The Huskies rebounded from their ugly loss against USC last week by routing Arizona State 44-18. Quarterback Jake Browning passed for 338 yards and two touchdowns, while tailback Myles Gaskin ran for 127 yards and a score. The winner of next weeks Apple Cup at Washington State will claim the Pac-12 North.2. Wisconsin: The Badgers beat Purdue 49-20 on the road, securing their fourth consecutive nine-win season for the second time in school history. Wisconsin can win the Big Ten West by beating Minnesota next week -- or if Nebraska loses at Iowa. The Cornhuskers will win the division if they beat the Hawkeyes and the Badgers lose to the Gophers.3. Penn State: After a very slow start, the Nittany Lions scored 30 points in the second half to shut out Rutgers 39-0 on the road. Penn State outgained the Scarlet Knights 549 yards to 87 in total offense. The Nittany Lions will win the Big Ten East if they defeat Michigan State at home and Ohio State beats Michigan next week.4. Oklahoma: Left for dead after two early-season losses, the Sooners are trying to find a backdoor way into the playoff again. Oklahoma blasted West Virginia 56-28 on the road in the snow. Tailbacks Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon combined for 307 rushing yards and three touchdowns. The Sooners host No. 11 Oklahoma State on Dec. 3 with the Big 12 title at stake.Heisman candidates1. Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville: Jackson might have cracked the door for other contenders after the No. 5 Cardinals dismal performance in a 36-10 loss at Houston on Thursday night. Jackson was sacked 11 times and completed 20 of 43 passes for 211 yards and one touchdown. He ran 25 times for 33 yards, but he would have finished with 116 yards if not for the sacks.2. Dede Westbrook, WR, Oklahoma: Oklahoma didnt throw the ball much in the snow at West Virginia, but Westbrook scored a touchdown for the eighth straight game on a 75-yard catch. He had two catches for 100 yards, the seventh time in eight games that he reached 100.3. DOnta Foreman, RB, Texas: Foreman carried a school-record 51 times for 250 yards and two touchdowns, but he also lost two costly fumbles in the Longhorns 24-21 defeat at Kansas. It was Foremans 12th consecutive 100-yard rushing game, breaking Earl Campbells school record of 11.4. Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson: Watson bounced back from a so-so performance in the loss to Pittsburgh by completing 23 of 33 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown against Wake Forest. He also ran seven times for 47 yards and two scores. Watson is now 28-3 as a starter, posting the best winning percentage by a Clemson quarterback.Best momentsTweets of the nightBest playsWorst playsQuotes of the night1. All week long Id said that, hey, if we get close at the end of the game, were going for two, and were going to take an aggressive approach and play to win the football game rather than to tie. They had us covered up on that particular play, so good job by them. -- Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio, on his teams failed two-point try with 4:41 left in a 17-16 loss to Ohio State.2. Oh man! Big-time players make big-time plays, and it was definitely time to make a big-time play, so I just had to come through in the clutch for my boys. I just turned and saw the ball in the air and went and got it. I had no idea the ball was coming until it was up in the air. -- Oregon receiver Darren Carrington II, on his winning touchdown catch to beat No. 12 Utah.3. Im at a loss for words, really, as to what to tell them. -- Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly, after the Fighting Irish blew a 17-point lead in a 34-31 loss to Virginia Tech. The Irish are 4-7.4. The mood of the team is we just have to rally together. Right now, the easiest thing to do is to abandon ship, play the blame game, point fingers. Right now, we have two regular-season games and we have a bowl game that we need to prepare for. -- Baylor defensive back Travon Blanchard, after the Bears lost their fourth straight game, 42-21 to Kansas State, to fall to 6-4.Stats that matter4,166: Florida States Dalvin Cook ran for 225 yards with four touchdowns in a 45-14 rout at Syracuse, passing Warrick Dunn to become the schools all-time leading rusher with 4,166 yards. Cook is the sixth ACC player to run for 4,000 yards and the first to do it in three seasons.4?: Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett had 4? sacks in a 23-10 victory over Texas-San Antonio, giving him 8? this season. Garrett now has 32? sacks in his career, making him the eighth player in SEC history to have at least 30.400: Tennessee allowed 420 rushing yards yet still beat Missouri 63-37. The Volunteers have allowed 400 rushing yards in back-to-back games and have won both of them. They beat Kentucky last week while allowing 443 rushing yards.?1,046: Detroit native Mike Weber ran for 111 yards in Ohio States 17-16 win at Michigan State, giving him 1,046 in 11 games this season. Weber joins Robert Smith (1990) and Maurice Clarett (2002) as the only freshmen in Ohio State history to run for at least 1,000 yards in a season. Hydro Flask Lilac .C. -- Chris Thorburn thinks one of the reasons the Winnipeg Jets have been successful under new coach Paul Maurice is that theyre playing together as a team. Hydro Flask Heureka . Its an influence in football and a big part of the game. http://www.hydroflasklahev.cz/ . -- Gus Malzahn finally had his day in Fayetteville. Hydro Flask Cz . 1 position. The Mustangs (6-0), who beat Queens 50-31 last weekend, earned 17 first-place votes and 287 points in voting by the Football Reporters of Canada. Western was last ranked first in the country in October 2011. Hydro Flask Termoska .Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have placed centre Cody Hodgson on injured reserve and recalled two players from their AHL affiliate in Rochester.Manchester Citys top-four hopes are hanging in the balance after Arsenal twice fought back from a goal down to claim a 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium on Super Sunday. City hopes dented by draw Manchester Citys Champions League chances are in doubt after a 2-2 draw with Arsenal. Sergio Aguero gave Manuel Pellegrinis men a perfect start when he scored his eighth goal in six Premier League games after eight minutes, but Olivier Giroud headed Arsenals equaliser from a corner just two minutes later.Kevin de Bruyne put City back in front with a low drive shortly after half-time, but Alexis Sanchez pulled Arsenal level again midway through the second half as the Gunners claimed a valuable point. From Citys Champions League chances to Girouds improved performance for Arsenal, here are five talking points from the game…Manchester City at risk It was Manuel Pellegrinis final home game in charge of Manchester City Manchester Citys top-four hopes are out of their hands, and they are in real danger of starting Pep Guardiolas reign without Champions League football. Manchester Uniteds 1-0 win over Norwich on Saturday left City needing three points against Arsenal, but they could now drop to fifth if Louis van Gaals side win their game in hand against West Ham on Tuesday.The home supporters at the Etihad showed their disappointment by leaving in their droves long before Pellegrinis leaving speech, and City only have themselves to blame for their current predicament. Its not just about today, its about results before today, said Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness. City were good today but if youre a City supporter watching that first half youre saying to yourself: Why are we not like that every week? City have the best players but week after week this season theyve gone out and not matched the opposition for effort. Thats why they are where they are.Welbeck injury hands Wilshere chance Jack Wilshere made only his second appearance of the season for Arsenal Arsenals Danny Welbeck looked disconsolate as he trudged down the tunnel after hurting his knee in the first half. The 25-year-old faces an anxious wait to discover the extent of the injury ahead of Euro 2016, but his departure did at least open the door to his England team-mate Jack Wilshere.Following a brief cameo against Sunderland last month, this was only Wilsheres second appearance of the season after his return from injury. Recent reports have suggested his starring displays in Englands qualifying campaign will be enough to earn him a place in Roy Hodgsons 23-man squad for the Euros regardless of club form, but this was still an important step towards full fitness. Arsene Wenger admits he is worried about Danny Welbecks chances of making Euro 2016 Wilshere produced a typically tenacious performance as he joined Mohamed Elneny and Aaron Ramsey in central midfield. There were occasional loose touches as he adjusted to the intensity of the encounter, but overall he acquitted himself well after such a long spell on the sidelines.The midfielder showed a willingness to run with the ball, contributed defensively with tackles and interceptions, and also provided sound distribution,, with 25 of his 29 passes finding a team-mate - giving him the highest success rate of any Arsenal player.ddddddddddddechs weakness? Petr Cech was beaten by Kevin de Bruynes long-range effort Petr Cech will not enjoy watching replays of Manchester Citys goals as he was beaten twice at his near post. The 33-year-old was not helped by the static defending in front of him, but De Bruynes strike exposed what appears to be a growing weakness from long-range shots.Only Stoke have conceded more goals from outside the box than Arsenal in the Premier League this season, and all 11 of them have come on Cechs watch. The first came from West Hams Mauro Zarate on the opening day of the campaign, and De Bruynes effort was reminiscent of Yannick Bolasies equaliser for Crystal Palace three weeks ago.It could have been a costly lapse for Arsenal, and Sky Sports pundit Thierry Henry was less than impressed. The ball goes through the legs of Gabriel but I think Petr Cech needs to do way better than he did, he said.Giroud ends his drought Giroud ended a run of 881 minutes without a Premier League goal While Cech endured an afternoon to forget in goal, there was a considerably improved display from the much-maligned Giroud at the other end of the pitch. The Frenchman ended a dismal run of 16 Premier League games without scoring when he rose to head home Elnenys corner, and his assist for Sanchezs strike was outstanding.The striker pinned Eliaquim Mangala as he received Sanchezs pass with his back to goal on the edge of the City box, and his deft flick allowed the onrushing Chilean to dispatch a clinical first-time finish beyond Joe Hart. Head boy Olivier Giroud has scored more headers (18) than any other Premier League player since his Arsenal debut in 2012. He had a great game today, his best for a while now, said Arsene Wenger in his post-match interview with Sky Sports. He was sharp, focused, and today we have seen the real Olivier Giroud. Its true that in recent games he did not have that sharpness, but goalscorers go through ups and downs and you never know when a striker will score or not.Citys defensive issues laid bare again Manchester City midfielder Fernandinho was disappointed not to beat Arsenal From a Manchester City perspective, Arsenals first goal was a defensive horror show. First, Gael Clichys ill-judged pass wrong-footed Hart and clipped his own post as it went out, then Mangalas woeful marking left Giroud to rise unchallenged and head home from the resulting corner.Mangala allowed Giroud to get the better of him again for Arsenals second goal, and Citys struggles at the back were typical of a campaign in which they have now conceded more goals (40) than in any of the last five seasons.Citys defensive issues were further exasperated by the news that captain Vincent Kompany could be facing four months out after he was forced off in their Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid, and a major defensive overhaul is likely to be Guardiolas first priority when he takes over in the summer. Also See: Pellegrini: Were not finished Welbeck in Euros injury scare ' ' '