With three weeks remaining in the 2019 regular season there is still a lot of football left to be played, but LSU took a huge step forward toward punching their ticket to the College Football Playoff. The Bayou Bengals dominated their arch rival Alabama for three quarters, then withstood a furious comeback bid to survive 46-41 in Tuscaloosa Saturday afternoon. The loss, however, did not remove the Crimson Tide from the playoff race. Around the Nation: Minnesota stunned favored Penn State 31-26. It was the biggest win for the Gophers since their Hey Days of the 1930's and 40's when Minnesota regularly competed for National Championships. The Gophers have a tough road ahead to reach the Big 10 Championship. They must travel to Iowa, Northwestern and host Wisconsin in the regular season finale. Coming back to earth and going on the road to face the Hawkeyes will not be an easy task. Lady luck smiled on the Big 12 as undefeated Baylor survived 3 overtimes and squeaked by TCU 29-23 and Oklahoma stopped a two point conversion try with 27 seconds left to beat Iowa State 42-41. The Bears and the Sooners are headed for a nationally televised prime time showdown Saturday in Waco. And Appalachian State notched a second win over a Power Five team with a 20-15 win over South Carolina. The Mountaineers topped the Tar Heels of North Carolina earlier this season.