Here's a look at what happened in the Lone Star State and with LSU:
Saturday NCAA Football Recap: LSU is crowned king of the SEC, advances to college football playoffs
Dec 8, 2019, 1:29 pm
Here's a look at what happened in the Lone Star State and with LSU:
Joe "Superman" Burrow padded his Heisman resume even further with an extremely impressive performance leading No. 1 LSU to a spot in the College Football Playoff after routing No. 4 Georgia 37-10 in the Southeastern Conference championship game on Saturday. Burrow threw for 349 yards, four touchdowns and added another 41 yards rushing on 11 carries. The Superman highlight of the game came late in the third quarter when Burrow scrambled to get away from Travon Walker, leaving the lineman on the turf, then drilled a 71-yard pass to Justin Jefferson while sprinting away from another Georgia defender. "It was all improvised," Burrow said. "Justin ran a 6-yard hitch route and saw me scrambling and took off deep. We got a great feel for each other. I knew exactly where he was going to be when I got out of there." Georgia entered the game ranked second in points allowed and until Saturday held nearly every opponent under 20. "That is a really good football team," Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. "We were going to have to make explosive plays. We were unable to do that." LSU is going for its first national title since the 2007 season and will head to Atlanta or Phoenix for a semifinal game on Dec. 28 against OU.
The sixth-ranked Sooners are Big 12 Champions for the fifth consecutive year after another close win over No. 8 Baylor. "I hope they see the Big 12 champions. They've got a job to do, I get that," Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley said after the Sooners' 30-23 overtime win on Saturday. It was the second time in four games that the Sooners have bested the Bears and third-year Baylor coach Matt Rhule says Oklahoma should be in the playoffs no matter other game results. Only three times since the founding of Baylor's football program in 1899 have the Bears won 11 games in a single season. This historic year for the Bears comes two years after Rhule's first season as head coach in which Bad Baylor lost 11 games in the wake of a sexual assault scandal that led to the firing of two-time Big 12 champion coach Art Briles. Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts was 17-of-24 passing for 278 yards and a touchdown and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb had 173 yards on eight receptions. The Bears will face Georgia in the Sugar Bowl which will likely be hosted in New Orleans. OU will face LSU in the playoffs.
The Houston Astros (37-30) aim to close out their series against the Chicago White Sox (23-45) on a high note Thursday night at Daikin Park. The three-game set is currently tied 1-1, and with a chance to secure their 11th series win at home, the Astros will send left-hander Framber Valdez to the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. ET.
Valdez (6-4, 3.07 ERA) has quietly been one of the most consistent arms in the American League. Known for his heavy sinker and ground-ball inducing style, he enters the night with a stellar 1.06 WHIP and 84 strikeouts. With the Astros bullpen having absorbed some heavy usage earlier this week, Valdez will be counted on to give Houston quality length.
Opposing him will be right-hander Davis Martin (2-6, 3.62 ERA), who has pitched better than his win-loss record suggests. Martin has maintained a 1.21 WHIP and will try to quiet an Astros lineup that broke out for 10 runs in Wednesday’s win.
Houston’s offense has been led lately by Jeremy Peña, who is batting .439 over his last 10 games with five doubles, two homers, and six RBIs. Isaac Paredes continues to be a steady power threat, leading the team with 14 home runs and a .468 slugging percentage. José Altuve, fresh off his 2,300th career hit, adds veteran stability to the top of the order.
The Astros are 23-13 at home this season and have gone 6-4 over their last 10 games. When they avoid giving up home runs, they win — as shown by their 20-4 record in games where they keep the ball in the yard. That will be a key Thursday against a White Sox team that’s light on power but capable of grinding out runs when they out-hit opponents (16-9 when doing so).
Chicago, meanwhile, has struggled mightily on the road, going just 7-27 away from Guaranteed Rate Field. Still, they’ve had unexpected success against the Astros this season, winning three of the first five matchups. Andrew Benintendi and Mike Tauchman have been among the few bright spots in a lineup that’s hit just .227 over its last 10 games and been outscored by six runs.
With the series on the line and the division-leading Astros looking to stay hot, Thursday night offers a chance to assert their edge with a trusted ace on the hill and momentum building in the lineup.
Here's a preview of the Astros lineup for the finale!
For the series.
⚾️: 7:10 PM
🏟️: Closed
📺: @SpaceCityHN
🎙️: @SportsTalk790 | Spanish: 93.3 FM#BuiltForThis x @reliantenergy pic.twitter.com/WsXWQV4ZkI
— Houston Astros (@astros) June 12, 2025
Christian Walker remains in the five spot after his big night in Game 2. Victor Caratini will be the DH hitting seventh behind Jake Meyers. Jose Altuve is shifting back to left field, with Jacob Melton getting the night off. And Brendan Rodgers will hit last and play second base.
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