WVU out of the running

West Virginia's Pat White (5) looks to run by Pittsburgh's Jemeel Brady (24). Pitt knocked White out of the game and the Mountaineers out of the national-title picture Saturday in Morgantown, W.Va.

Southern California tight end Fred Davis (83) celebrates after scoring a touchdown. USC toppled UCLA, 24-7, Saturday in Los Angeles.

? The curse of No. 2 claimed another victim.

West Virginia is out of the national-title race. Ohio State is in.

In a season defined by upsets, Pittsburgh came up with an enormous one, beating the second-ranked Mountaineers, 13-9, Saturday night to throw another curveball at the BCS.

A win away from playing for the national championship, the Mountaineers were expected to roll over rival Pittsburgh (5-7) on their way to New Orleans for the Bowl Championship Series title game.

No way. Not in this unpredictable season, when nothing has gone according to plan and upsets have become so frequent the word itself has almost lost its meaning.

“I thought we were ready,” said West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez, speaking slowly and struggling to get through his postgame news conference. “We picked an awful time to have our worst offensive game in years.”

No. 2 had already lost six times this season, five times to unranked teams. In a year when Appalachian State beat Michigan and 41-point underdog Stanford beat Southern California, West Virginia (10-2) losing the 100th Backyard Brawl as a four-touchdown favorite shouldn’t be all that shocking.

Especially after the Mountaineers lost Heisman Trophy contender Pat White to a dislocated thumb in the second quarter. White tried to play in the fourth quarter, but he couldn’t conjure a comeback.

When Pitt punter Dave Brytus ran out of the end zone for a safety on the final clock-killing play, West Virginia, a program that has won more games then any other in major college football without winning a national title, was done.

No. 5 LSU 21, No. 14 Tennesse 14

Atlanta – Assured by Les Miles he would stay as LSU’s coach, the fifth-ranked Tigers shifted their full attention to No. 14 Tennessee. The result was a Southeastern Conference championship – and still a slight chance to play for the national title.

Jonathan Zenon scored on an 18-yard interception return with 9:54 left to put LSU ahead, then Darry Beckwith picked off another pass by Erik Ainge deep in Tigers territory to seal it.

The victory sent LSU home with a spot in the Sugar Bowl at worst.

No. 6 Virginia Tech 30, No. 12 Boston College 16

Jacksonville, Fla. – Virginia Tech ‘s two-quarterback system worked to perfection on one drive, just enough to get the Hokies to the Orange Bowl.

Sean Glennon threw three touchdown passes, Tech’s defense finally stopped Matt Ryan and the sixth-ranked Hokies won the Atlantic Coast Conference title.

Tyrod Taylor gained 31 yards on a quarterback draw, then Glennon capped an 84-yard drive with a 24-yard strike to Eddie Royal with 7:12 remaining.

No. 8 USC 24, UCLA 7

Los Angeles – John David Booty passed for 206 yards and one touchdown, USC rushed for another 231 yards, and the Trojans beat the Bruins to assure themselves a spot in the Rose Bowl.

The Trojans won their final four regular-season games to earn an unprecedented sixth consecutive conference championship. It also gives them their third consecutive Rose Bowl berth and a sixth appearance in a BCS bowl.

USC has a 25-1 record in regular-season games played in November and December since coach Pete Carroll was hired in 2001.

No. 13 Arizona State 20, Arizona 17

Tempe, Ariz. – Arizona State’s Rose Bowl dream died shortly before the Sun Devils took the field against arch rival Arizona.

The 13th-ranked Sun Devils kept their Fiesta Bowl hopes alive with a victory over the Wildcats, their third straight Territorial Cup victory.

Rudy Carpenter threw for 247 yards and two touchdowns for ASU, which has never played in a Bowl Championship Series game.

The Fiesta may have to choose between the hometown Sun Devils and 11-1 Kansas. And Hawaii, which kicked off late Saturday, also was on the Fiesta’s radar.

Oregon State 38, No. 18 Oregon 31, 2OT

Eugene, Ore. – Freshman wide receiver James Rodgers ran 25 yards around end for the go-ahead touchdown, and the Oregon State defense stuffed Oregon on fourth down.

The two teams matched field goals in the first extra session before Rodgers broke free on the first play of the second overtime. Oregon was faced with fourth-and-1 from the 16 when it got a chance to answer, but tailback Jonathan Stewart was stopped for a loss on a run up the middle.

No. 21 Brigham Young 48, San Diego St. 27

San Diego – Freshman Harvey Unga ran for 161 yards and scored four touchdowns.

Unga scored on runs of 1, 7 and 3 yards, and caught an 8-yard TD pass from Max Hall as the Cougars completed the regular season with their ninth straight win.

Winners of 16 consecutive conference games, the Cougars await their bowl fate. It appears likely that they will play in the Las Vegas Bowl.