Nov 27, 2015; Lincoln, NE, USA; The Iowa Hawkeyes celebrate their victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium. Iowa won 28-20. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
LINCOLN, Neb. — For the first time in program history, Iowa is 12-0.
Now the Hawkeyes have their eyes on a bigger prize.
Running back Jordan Canzeri ran 17 times for 140 yards and two third-quarter touchdowns and No. 4 Iowa kept its hopes alive for the College Football Playoffs with a 28-20 victory over Nebraska on Friday at Memorial Stadium.
Big Ten West Division champion Iowa (12-0, 8-0) will play in next weekend’s conference championship game in Indianapolis. The opponent will be determined Saturday, but for the Hawkeyes, it could serve as an elimination game to advance to the CFP semifinals.
Canzeri ran for touchdowns of 33 and 68 yards on consecutive plays in the third quarter. Canzeri’s second run came after Nebraska senior running back Imani Cross scored on a 5-yard run to finish an 11-play, 75-yard drive to cut Iowa’s lead to 21-17.
Nebraska (5-7) ouldn’t overcome four interceptions by junior quarterback Tommy Armstrong, including one that Iowa returned for a touchdown.
No. 17 Oregon 52, Oregon State 42
EUGENE, Ore. — Senior quarterback Vernon Adams threw for 366 yards and three touchdowns to lead No. 17 Oregon (9-3) to is sixth straight win.
Junior wide receiver Bralon Addison had three touchdown catches and one touchdown run for Oregon. Sophomore running back Royce Freeman rushed for 167 yards and two scores.
Oregon State (2-10, 0-9 Pac-12) trailed 31-7 at halftime but got within 31-21 in the third quarter. Freeman responded with a 19-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter to push Oregon’s lead to 38-21.
Houston 52, No. 15 Navy 31
Houston quarterback Greg Ward Jr. threw for three touchdowns and ran for another score as the Cougars earned a spot in the American Athletic Conference championship with its upset of No. 15 Navy in Houston, Texas.
Ward completed 26 of 35 passes for 308 yards. The Cougars (11-1, 7-1 AAC) will host the title game Dec. 5 and play either Temple or South Florida.
Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds had 84 yards on 19 carries and ran for a 4-yard score, tying Wisconsin’s Montee Ball with 83 career overall touchdowns. Reynolds also completed 13 of 16 passes for a career-high 312 yards with a 26-yard touchdown to Jamir Tillman for Navy (9-2, 7-1). Reynolds tied Bill Byrne for the program’s all-time record with 29 career passing touchdowns.
Washington 45, No. 20 Washington State 10
Washington retained the Apple Cup for the sixth time in seven years and became bowl-eligible by winning the game in Seattle against a Washington State team that was without its starting quarterback.
Cougars quarterback Luke Falk missed the game with a concussion and was replaced by Peyton Bender.
The Huskies (6-6) defense forced Washington State into seven turnovers, and converted those into 28 points. The Cougars slipped to 8-4.
Western Michigan 35, Toledo 30
Corey Davis caught two touchdown passes and Western Michigan upset No. 24 Toledo in Toledo, which sends Northern Illinois to the Mid-American Conference championship game.
The Rockets (9-2, 6-2) would have earned a berth in the MAC title game with a win, but the Broncos (7-5, 6-2) created a three-way tie for the division crown. Because Northern Illinois beat both Toledo and Western Michigan, it won a tiebreaker to be the MAC West representative against Bowling Green
