Payton Thorne hit KeAndre Lambert-Smith for a two-point play in the fourth overtime to lift Auburn to a 43-41 victory over No. 15 Texas A&M, capping a brutal day for Southeastern Conference playoff contenders.

The state that gave much of America the right to offer legal sports betting may decide that certain bets on college athletes are out of bounds.

Kip Lewis returned an interception 61 yards for the game-winning touchdown, and No. 21 Oklahoma rallied from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Auburn, 27-21 on Saturday for its first-ever Southeastern Conference win.

Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne has taken heat from a different source after struggling in a loss to California: Angry sports bettors.

Michigan and Michigan State both got off to solid starts during the first weekend of college football, and so did many former players who transferred from those programs this offseason.

Transfer Payton Thorne has won Auburn’s starting quarterback job.

Former Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne is headed to Auburn.

Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne and receiver Keon Coleman have entered the transfer portal.

Michigan State coach Mel Tucker hopes he doesn’t have this long of an offseason ever again.

Sean Clifford threw four touchdown passes and No. 11 Penn State’s defense tightened up late to beat Michigan State 35-16 in the regular-season finale.

Payton Thorne threw for 256 yards and two touchdowns and Ben Patton hit two fourth-quarter field goals to lift Michigan State to a 27-21 victory over Rutgers and keep the Spartans’ bowl hopes alive.

Payton Thorne passed for 182 yards and two touchdowns as Michigan State ended a troubling week where eight players were suspended by defeating No. 14 Illinois 23-15 on Saturday.

Quarterback Payton Thorne threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jayden Reed in the second overtime to lift Michigan State to a 34-28 victory over Wisconsin.

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Taulia Tagovailoa threw for 314 yards and a touchdown, and Maryland handed Michigan State its third consecutive loss, beating the Spartans 27-13.

Tanner Morgan threw for 268 yards and three touchdowns and Mohamed Ibrahim rushed for 103 yards and a score to lead Minnesota to a 34-7 rout over struggling Michigan State in the Big Ten opener for both schools.

Michael Penix Jr. threw for 397 yards and four touchdowns and Washington emphatically stated its case as a contender in the Pac-12 with a 39-28 win over No. 11 Michigan State.

Three key takeaways from the state’s football scene this past weekend.

Jalen Berger ran for 107 yards and three touchdowns and Michigan State’s defense forced four fumbles to help the 14th ranked Spartans to a 52-0 victory over Akron.

Payton Thorne played well in spurts, allowing No. 15 Michigan State to earn a lopsided win over Western Michigan despite struggling for long stretches of the opener on both sides of the ball.

Payton Thorne capped three straight drives with touchdown passes in the first half and threw for a fourth score in the final quarter to help No. 15 Michigan State pull away and beat Western Michigan 35-13.

Michigan State is openly talking about winning a national championship.

The Michigan State football team is ranked No. 15 in the preseason AP poll coming off last year’s 11-win campaign.

Payton Thorne’s 22-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Reed gave No. 11 Michigan State the lead with less than three minutes remaining and the Spartans overcame an 11-point deficit to beat No. 13 Pittsburgh 31-21 on Thursday night in the Peach Bowl.

No. 11 Michigan State and No. 13 Pittsburgh each will be without its most prominent players when they meet in the Peach Bowl on Thursday night.

A milestone season for Pittsburgh and quarterback Kenny Pickett is continuing with a Peach Bowl matchup against Michigan State.

Payton Thorne threw two touchdown passes and ran for another to lead No. 12 Michigan State to a 30-27 victory over Penn State.

No. 12 Michigan State hosts Penn State on Saturday.

The Big Ten East race is coming down to the wire the last two weeks of the season and the results also could shake up the College Football Playoff picture.

No. 7 Michigan State heads to No. 5 Ohio State for a game Saturday that will have huge implications in the Big Ten East.

Aidan O’Connell threw for a career-best 536 yards, matched his career high with three touchdown passes and led Purdue past No. 5 Michigan State 40-29.

Kenneth Walker ran for 197 yards and five touchdowns, lifting No. 8 Michigan State to a 37-33 comeback win over No. 6 Michigan on Saturday.

The spotlight shines on the Big Ten this week with three games sure to effect the division races and possibly the College Football Playoff.

Matt Coghlin's 51-yard field goal gave No. 10 Michigan State the lead and Payton Thorne's third-quarter touchdown throw gave the Spartans the breathing room they needed to beat Indiana 20-15.

Huddle up! Here’s a look back at this weekend on the gridiron, with three key takeaways from the state’s football scene.

#11 MSU defeated Rutgers University.

No. 11 Michigan State is off to its best start since going 8-0 in 2015.

Kenneth Walker and Jayden Reed combined to score five touchdowns in the first half to help No. 17 Michigan State build a 26-point lead and it went on to beat Western Kentucky 48-31 on Saturday night.

Western Kentucky's performance against Indiana didn't go unnoticed by Michigan State coach Mel Tucker.

No. 17 Michigan State has already doubled its win total from coach Mel Tucker’s debut season.

Chester Kimbrough intercepted Adrian Martinez’s pass in overtime and Matt Coghlin made a 21-yard field goal to keep No. 20 Michigan State unbeaten with a 23-20 win over Nebraska.

No. 20 Michigan State is the only Power Five football program with a pair of road upsets this season.

Huddle up! Here’s a look back at this weekend on the gridiron, with three key takeaways from the state’s football scene.

Payton Thorne passed for 261 yards and four touchdowns, two of those scoring throws going to Jalen Nailor, and Michigan State extended its unbeaten start by topping No. 24 Miami 38-17 on Saturday.

The No. 24 Miami Hurricanes, unimpressive in both of their games this season, will look to reverse that trend on Saturday afternoon.

The 24th-ranked Miami Hurricanes play host to Michigan State on Saturday.

Payton Thorne threw for four touchdowns, including two long strikes to Jayden Reed, and ran for another score as Michigan State rolled to a 42-14 victory over Youngstown State.

The final score was 42 to 14

Kenneth Walker III made plenty of noise in his sensational debut in the Big Ten.

Kenneth Walker III ran for a career-high 264 yards and a personal-best four touchdowns in an impressive debut with his new team, and Michigan State beat Northwestern 38-21 in the season opener.

Nine of the 14 Big Ten football teams appear set at quarterback heading into the fall.

Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker pumps his fist after the team defeated Michigan in an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)In yet another twist to this crazy college football season, a matchup between Maryland and Michigan State has been canceled a second time after an outbreak of COVID-19 in College Park. The Terrapins (2-3) were slated to face the Spartans (2-5) on Saturday night as part of the Big Ten “Champions Week.”But on Thursday afternoon, Maryland released this statement:“Under the guidance and advice from university medical staff, Maryland Athletics has canceled Saturday’s scheduled football game against Michigan State. “Our team has demonstrated a tremendous work ethic, resolve and displayed Maryland pride throughout this unique season. Home games against Ohio State and two against Michigan State was called off because of a COVID-19 outbreak in College Park, and the Dec. 5 game at Michigan was canceled because of virus issue among the Wolverines. ___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and http://www.twitter.com/AP_Top25

3 Ohio State to a 52-12 win over Michigan State on Saturday. Michigan State (2-4, 2-4) was coming off a win over another undefeated team — Northwestern — but the Spartans were overmatched Saturday. “Outings like this are not acceptable, and I don't care who we're playing," Michigan State coach Mel Tucker said. They punted on fourth-and-1 in the first quarter — and again on fourth down in Ohio State territory early in the third. Michigan State wraps up the regular season at Penn State.

Fryfogle had 11 catches for 200 yards — surpassing career highs he’d set just a week earlier — and the Hoosiers handled Michigan State 24-0 on Saturday. Michigan State was shut out at home for the first time since a 31-0 loss to Michigan in 1985. Michigan State: The Spartans have been hurt by turnovers in all three of their losses, and this was no exception. Lombardi isn't the only one to blame, but it was time for Michigan State to try another option at quarterback. “We thought it was some decision making early in the game," Michigan State coach Mel Tucker said.

Fryfogle had 11 catches for 200 yards — surpassing career highs he'd set just a week earlier — and the Hoosiers handled Michigan State 24-0 on Saturday. Michigan State was shut out at home for the first time since a 31-0 loss to Michigan in 1985. Michigan State: The Spartans have been hurt by turnovers in all three of their losses, and this was no exception. Lombardi isn't the only one to blame, but it was time for Michigan State to try another option at quarterback. “We thought it was some decision making early in the game," Michigan State coach Mel Tucker said.

Mel Tucker’s success in his first season as Michigan State’s coach may be determined in large part by who is playing quarterback. “We won't be announcing a quarterback today," Tucker said Tuesday, four days before the Spartans open the season against Rutgers. Redshirt freshman Payton Thorne is also an option, and Tucker mentioned freshman Noah Kim as well when assessing the position. “Those guys, that's a really good group of guys, and Noah Kim has done a nice job for us. “Jay Johnson is a veteran offensive coordinator, a veteran play caller, a veteran quarterbacks coach — played the position himself.