MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Antonio Gibson caught a 6-yard touchdown pass from Brady White with 1:14 left and Memphis beat Cincinnati, 29-24, in the American Athletic Conference championship game.
After the game, two people with knowledge of the decision said Memphis coach Mike Norvell will be introduced Sunday as Florida State's coach. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because an official announcement has not been made.
Memphis (12-1, No. 17, CFP) finally won the AAC title in its third straight conference championship game. The Tigers now wait for an invitation to the Cotton Bowl as the highest-ranked Group of Five team.
Eight days after beating the Bearcats 34-24 at home in the regular-season finale, Memphis rallied for another win. Along with scoring the go-ahead touchdown, Gibson ran for 130 yards, including a 65-yard TD dash.
Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder, who did not play last week against Memphis, passed for 233 yards and ran for 113 more.
Mountain West
No. 19 Boise State 31, Hawaii 10
BOISE, Idaho - Jaylon Henderson threw for 212 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score to lead No. 19 Boise State to a 31-10 victory over Hawaii in the Mountain West championship game.
Boise State (12-1, No. 19 CFP) won its second conference title in three years, beating Hawaii again this season after winning the Oct. 12th meeting, 59-37. After rolling up 518 yards of offense in the first game, the Broncos leaned on their defense in the rematch.
The Broncos made two defensive stands inside the 5, once in the second quarter and another early in the third.
Hawaii (9-5) was making its first appearance in the title game. It enjoyed some success through the air with Cole McDonald passing for 241 yards, but couldn't overcome early problems in the red zone.
Sun Belt
No. 25 Appalachian State 45, Louisiana-Lafayette 38
BOONE, N.C. - Darrynton Evans scored three touchdowns and Appalachian State repeated as Sun Belt Conference champion with the victory over Louisiana-Lafayette.
Evans won the game's MVP for the second straight season.
Zac Thomas threw for 149 yards and two touchdowns, and Daetrich Harrington and Marcus Williams added touchdown runs. The Mountaineers racked up 416 yards on offense, including 267 on the ground in a dominating first half.
The Mountaineers (12-1) have won at least a share of four straight Sun Belt championships.
Levi Lewis threw for a Sun Belt championship game-record 354 yards and four touchdowns for Lafayette (10-3, 8-2).