SALT LAKE CITY » Brandon Burton blocked a last-second field goal to lift No. 23 Utah to a wild 17-16 victory yesterday over BYU in their final game as Mountain West Conference rivals.

Mitch Payne had already kicked three field goals for BYU and was lined up for the game-winning 42-yarder. But Burton came up big for the Utes (10-2, 7-1), who likely are headed to the Las Vegas Bowl.

BYU (6-6, 5-2) at one point had a 13-0 lead. But the Utes came back behind sophomore quarterback Jordan Wynn, who had been benched to start the second half.

Wynn pulled Utah within 13-10 with a 37-yard touchdown pass to DeVonte Chrisopher with 13:46 to play. He then set Matt Asiata up for a 3-yard TD run with 4:24 remaining that gave Utah it’s first lead.

No. 15 Missouri 35, Kansas 7

Blaine Gabbert directed scoring drives on the first two possessions and later scored on a 1-yard run himself, leading the Tigers (10-2, 6-2) to a victory over the Jayhawks (3-9, 1-7).

De’Vion Moore scored two touchdowns for Missouri, which drew 95 yards in penalties in the always-passionate border showdown but still dominated its arch rival. No. 16 Nebraska’s victory over Colorado on Friday had made it impossible for the Tigers to finish higher than second in the Big 12 North.

The Jayhawks ended a miserable season in Turner Gill’s first year as head coach and have lost 16 of 19 after opening 2009 with five straight wins.

No. 18 South Carolina 29, Clemson 7

Stephen Garcia threw for two touchdowns, Alshon Jeffery had his seventh 100-yard receiving game and the Gamecocks (9-3) posted their third nine-win season ever with a victory over the Tigers (6-6).

In a season of milestones, this was likely one of the sweetest for the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division winners, who beat the Tigers in consecutive games for the first time since 1968-70.

The Gamecocks (9-3) have only won nine games twice before in 117 seasons of football, going 10-2 in 1984 and 9-3 in 2001.

Maryland 38, No. 21 NC State 31

Danny O’Brien threw for a career-high 417 yards and four touchdowns, all to Torrey Smith, and the Terrapins (8-4, 5-3 ACC) denied the Wolfpack (8-4, 5-3) a spot in the ACC title game.

Needing a victory to win the league’s Atlantic Division, North Carolina State scored touchdowns on its first two possessions to take a 14-0 lead. But the Terrapins rallied behind O’Brien, who made up for a running game that finished with negative yardage.

North Carolina State ended up in a second-place tie with Maryland behind Florida State.

Minnesota 27, No. 24 Iowa 24

Duane Bennett’s touchdown run with 4:31 left lifted the Gophers (3-9, 2-6 Big Ten) over the Hawkeyes (7-5, 4-4).

DeLeon Eskridge had 95 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries for Minnesota.

Freshman Marcus Coker carried 21 times for 90 yards for Iowa, which closed the regular season with three straight losses of four points or fewer.

The Gophers celebrated by raciing aross the field to fetch the Floyd of Rosedale trophy, the bronze pig these border-state schools play for each fall.

No. 25 Mississippi State 31, Mississippi 23

Chris Relf threw for a career-high 288 yards and three touchdowns as the Bulldogs (8-4, 4-4 SEC) beat the Rebels (4-8, 1-7) in the Egg Bowl.

Mississippi State dominated for most of the game, with a 498-326 advantage in total yards. But Ole Miss nearly rallied from a 31-9 fourth quarter deficit, scoring two touchdowns to pull within 31-23 with 4:21 remaining.

The Rebels’ comeback ended when Saint Louis alum Jeremiah Masoli was sacked on fourth and 24 with 59.4 seconds remaining.