BATON ROUGE, La. — Most of the fans already had left the stadium. Quarterback Jarrett Lee had been booed and benched in the first half. But somehow, LSU found a way to follow one of its most disheartening losses with the biggest comeback in school history.

LSU rallied from 28 points down to beat Troy, completing the comeback when Charles Scott scored with 4:50 left to put the 19th-ranked Tigers ahead in a 40-31 win last night.

LSU's biggest comeback at home had been 20 points, when the Tigers rallied from a 34-14 fourth-quarter deficit to beat Houston 35-34 in 1996. Its largest comeback had been from 21 points down at Ole Miss in 1977.

Troy went up 31-3 midway through the third, but LSU (7-3) answered with a touchdown late in the quarter and then ran off 30 points in the fourth to avoid an embarrassing loss.

"We just had to calm down and stay focused," said Lee, who returned to start the second half. "Not one time did we think we were going to lose. It just shows how much character this team has."

LSU scored touchdowns on three consecutive possessions to cut Troy's lead to 31-24 with 10:33 left.

The go-ahead score was set up when a punt bounced off the leg of Troy's Jorrick Calvin and the Tigers recovered at the Trojans 16. Scott scored four plays later.

The Tigers led 33-31 after Scott scored and Colt David missed the kick. Quinn Johnson scored his second touchdown with about 2 minutes left to finally put the Trojans at a safe distance.

Levi Brown completed 34 of 72 passes for 312 yards and two TDs for Troy (6-4), which scored touchdowns on its first two possessions and was seeking its second victory against an SEC team. LSU avoided its first loss to a Sun Belt team in 33 games.

The comeback started when true freshman quarterback Jordan Jefferson touched the pylon on a fourth-down bootleg to cut the deficit to 31-10 with 1:26 left in the third quarter. As the Tigers gathered momentum, Brandon LaFell caught a 33-yard touchdown pass at the 14:00 mark of the fourth quarter and Johnson followed with a score from the 1.

NO. 1 ALABAMA 32, MISSISSIPPI STATE 7

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Javier Arenas ran back a punt 80 yards for one touchdown, Kareem Jackson blocked a punt in the end zone for a safety and Leigh Tiffin kicked three field goals to help the Crimson Tide (11-0, 7-0 Southeastern Conference) beat the Bulldogs (3-7, 1-5) for the first time in three years.

NO. 3 FLORIDA 56, SOUTH CAROLINA 6

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Percy Harvin ran for a career-high 167 yards and two touchdowns, Tim Tebow accounted for three scores and the Gators (9-1, 7-1 Southeastern Conference) hammered the Gamecocks (7-4, 4-4), handing coach Steve Spurrier his worst loss in 90 games at The Swamp.

NO. 4 TEXAS 35, KANSAS 7

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Colt McCoy burned the Big 12's worst pass defense for 255 yards and two record-breaking touchdowns and the Longhorns (10-1, 6-1) routed the Jayhawks (6-5, 3-4) to stay in the thick of the national championship hunt.

NO. 6 USC 45, STANFORD 23

STANFORD, Calif. — C.J. Gable returned a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown and ran for another score, Mark Sanchez threw two TD passes and Stafon Johnson ran for two scores as the Trojans (9-1, 7-1 Pac-10) overcame an early deficit and avenged last year's shocking loss to the Cardinal (5-6, 4-4).

NO. 7 PENN STATE 34, INDIANA 7

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Derrick Williams ran for one score and caught a touchdown pass, Daryll Clark threw for 240 yards and two scores, and the Nittany Lions (10-1, 6-1 Big Ten) allowed just six first downs, but struggled to beat the Hoosiers (3-8, 1-6), who trailed just 10-7 at halftime.

NO. 8 UTAH 63, SDSU 14

SAN DIEGO — Brian Johnson kept the Utes (11-0, 7-0) on a BCS-busting course by throwing a career-high five touchdown passes in a rout of the Aztecs (1-10, 0-7) to clinch at least a share of the Mountain West Conference title and a chance to finish the regular season undefeated when they host No. 16 BYU in their big rivalry game on Saturday.

NO. 10 OHIO STATE 30, ILLINOIS 20

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Beanie Wells ran for 143 yards and a touchdown and Terrelle Pryor added another 110 yards, as the Buckeyes (9-2, 6-1) defeated the Illini (5-6, 3-4) to remain in the chase for the Big Ten title.

NO. 11 OKLAHOMA ST. 30, COLORADO 17

BOULDER, Colo. — Zac Robinson, playing in his home state for the first time since high school four years ago, threw for 217 yards and a touchdown and ran for another to propel the Cowboys (9-2, 5-2 Big 12) past the Buffaloes (5-6, 2-5).

NO. 12 MISSOURI 52, IOWA STATE 20

AMES, Iowa — Chase Daniel went 32-of-40 for 328 yards, completed his first 16 passes and threw for two touchdowns, and the Tigers (9-2, 5-2) raced to a 31-7 halftime lead in crushing the Cyclones (2-8, 0-6) to clinch the Big 12 North and a spot in the conference title game.

NO. 13 GEORGIA 17, AUBURN 13

AUBURN, Ala. — Knowshon Moreno rushed for 134 yards and caught a pass for a touchdown and the Bulldogs (9-2, 6-2 Southeastern Conference) went ahead for good with 8:24 to play on a 17-yard pass from Matthew Stafford to A.J. Green, then stopped two late drives by the Tigers (5-6, 2-5).

NO. 16 BYU 38, AIR FORCE 24

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. — Max Hall threw for 354 yards and two touchdowns, and Harvey Unga added two short touchdowns runs in a 74-second span in the third quarter, helping the Cougars (10-1, 6-1) beat the Falcons (8-3, 5-2) to set up a clash with No. 8 Utah next weekend for a share of the Mountain West Conference title.

MARYLAND 17, NO. 17 N. CAROLINA 15

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Chris Turner engineered a fourth-quarter drive that produced a 26-yard field goal by Obi Egekeze with 1:42 left as the Terrapins (7-3, 4-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) upset the Tar Heels (7-3, 3-3) for their school-record sixth consecutive win over a ranked opponent.

BOSTON COLLEGE 27, NO. 20 FLORIDA STATE 17

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Montel Harris ran for 121 yards and a touchdown and Marcellus Bowman went 87 yards with an interception for another score to help the Eagles (7-3, 3-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) beat the Seminoles (7-3, 4-3), who suspended five players on Friday for a midweek fight on campus with members of a fraternity.

HOUSTON 70, NO. 25 TULSA 30

HOUSTON — Case Keenum threw five touchdown passes in the first half and finished with a career-high six, while also running for another score, Tyron Carrier caught two TD passes and added a third touchdown on a 93-yard punt return as the Cougars (6-4, 5-1 CUSA) crushed the Golden Hurricane (8-2, 5-1).