It may end up being too little too late for a College Football Playoff berth, but the #7 Stanford Cardinal will cap off a dream season with a Rose Bowl berth thanks to a 41-22 win over the #20 USC Trojans in Saturday night's SEC Championship Game.
RB Christian McCaffrey broke Barry Sanders' record for most all-purpose yards in a season (3,250), running for 207 yards and a score, catching four balls for 105 yards and a touchdown, and even throwing a TD pass on an 11-yard trick play strike to QB Kevin Hogan of all people.
The Cardinal would slam the door shut after a Cody Kessler 12-yard TD run closed the gap to 27-22 early in the fourth. A 28-yard touchdown pass from Hogan to McCaffrey in the middle of the frame and yet another McCaffrey TD on a 10-yard burst late sealed the deal.
Hogan had just 12 passing attempts on the night, completing nine for 144 yards and a score. In contrast, Stanford ran 51 times for 266 yards, both killing the clock and breaking down USC's front seven with carry after carry. McCaffrey was the unquestioned star of the night, adding major fuel to his rocket up the Heisman Trophy watch charts.
USC's offense was balanced enough to keep things relatively close for a bit. However, Cody Kessler was forced to throw to his check-downs more often than not, passing for just 187 yards and a touchdown on 22 completed passes.
Unless there's some unforeseen CFP committee craziness, Stanford will be unable to crack what looks to be a set top four heading into Sunday's final rankings reveal. USC will head to a non-New Year's Six bowl game, ending what's be a tumultuous 2015 campaign at an as-of-yet unspecified bowl site.
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