STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Trace McSorley completed 17 of 23 passes for 376 yards and four touchdowns Saturday, and No. 8 Penn State beat Michigan State 45-12 to win the Big Ten East.

Penn State (10-2, 8-1 Big Ten) edged No. 2 Ohio State for the East title, setting up a conference championship game against West winner Wisconsin next week in Indianapolis. The Nittany Lions beat the Buckeyes 24-20 at home Oct. 22.

Ed Orgeron

Tom Herman

Damien Harris of Alabama celebrates Saturday after scoring a first-period touchdown. The top-ranked Crimson Tide went on to a 30-12 victory at home against Auburn. USA Today/John David Mercer

THE INS AND OUTS OF COLLEGE COACHING

There were some significant changes made Saturday, with Charlie Strong getting an expected firing at Texas with Tom Herman – who has coached Houston into national prominence during the last two seasons with a 22-4 record – taking over the Longhorns. Strong was 16-21 at Texas.

LSU, meanwhile, stayed close to home by sticking with Ed Orgeron, giving the interim football coach his dream job on a permanent basis. Orgeron has gone 5-2 since taking over for Les Miles, who was fired in late September after LSU started 2-2. It was the second winning interim stint at a major program for Orgeron, a 55-year-old Louisianan who went 6-2 at USC after Lane Kiffin was fired in 2013.

McSorley set a single-season school record for total offense and sparked the Nittany Lions with multiple deep passes in the second half when Penn State outscored Michigan State, 35-0.

He threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Chris Godwin down the sideline on Penn State’s first second-half possession and followed it with a 45-yarder to Mike Gesicki on the next drive. Godwin got loose down the middle minutes later and McSorley hit him in stride for 59 yards to give Penn State a 31-12 lead and cap a 21-point third quarter.

(1) ALABAMA 30, (16) AUBURN 12: Jalen Hurts rebounded from two early interceptions to pass for 286 yards and the defense did the rest for Alabama (12-0, 8-0 Southeastern) against Auburn (8-4, 5-3) at Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

The Crimson Tide led just 13-9 at halftime, dominating the stat sheet but only taking over the scoreboard in the second half. The defense pushed its string of quarters without allowing a touchdown to 14-plus.

(4) CLEMSON 56, SOUTH CAROLINA 7: Deshaun Watson tied his career high with six touchdown passes, three to Mike Williams, and Clemson (11-1) took another strong step to the College Football Playoff by beating visiting South Carolina (6-6).

If the Tigers don’t stumble against Virginia Tech next week in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game, they’ll be off to college football’s final four for a second straight season.

(5) WISCONSIN 31, MINNESOTA 17: Corey Clement ran for two fourth-quarter touchdowns, a big-play defense pitched a second-half shutout, and Wisconsin (10-3, 7-2 Big Ten) beat Minnesota (8-4, 5-4) at Madison, Wisconsin, for its 13th straight win in the annual border rivalry.

The Badgers triumphantly lifted Paul Bunyan’s Axe again, the trophy that goes to the victor in the most-played rivalry in major college football.

(9) COLORADO 27, (21) UTAH 22: Colorado (11-2, 8-1) won the Pac-12 South title by beating Utah (8-2, 5-4) at Boulder, Colorado, thanks to a senior-laden defense that forced two huge fumbles by Utes star running back Joe Williams.

Cornerback Chidobe Awuzie also had a touchdown-saving tackle after a 93-yard kickoff return.

The Buffaloes will face sixth-ranked Washington in the conference championship game next weekend.

KENTUCKY 41, (11) LOUISVILLE 38: Austin MacGinnis’ 47-yard field goal with 12 seconds remaining gave visiting Kentucky (7-5) an upset of Louisville (9-3) and helped the Wildcats win the Governor’s Cup for the first time since 2010.

(12) SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 45, NOTRE DAME 27: Adoree Jackson returned a punt and a kickoff for touchdowns, and also caught a scoring pass to propel Southern California (9-3) to its eighth consecutive victory, over Notre Dame (4-8) at Los Angeles in the 88th edition of their famed intersectional rivalry.

(19) WEST VIRGINIA 49, IOWA STATE 19: Skyler Howard threw for 330 yards and tied a career high with five touchdowns, and West Virginia (9-2, 6-2 Big 12) rolled past Iowa State (3-9, 2-7) for a victory at Ames, Iowa.

VANDERBILT 45, (24) TENNESSEE 34: Kyle Shurmur threw for a career-high 416 yards, and Vanderbilt (6-6, 3-5 Southeastern) scored the final 21 points to upset Tennessee (8-4, 4-4) at Nashville, Tennessee.

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