Kentucky joins Top 25 ranks
After a season-high seven ranked teams lost, the back half of the AP college football poll got a makeover yesterday. Five teams entered the Top 25, including No.17 Kentucky for the first time since 2007 and No. 22 Duke.
Boston College was among the teams to fall out of the rankings following a loss at Purdue.
At the top it was mostly status quo, with Alabama, Georgia, Clemson and Ohio State staying Nos. 1-4. LSU moved up to No. 5, swapping places with Oklahoma after the Sooners needed overtime to get by Army. Alabama received a season-high 60 firstplace votes. Clemson had one.
Kentucky is unbeaten and 2-0 in the Southeastern Conference for the first time since 1977. The last time the Wildcats were ranked was Nov. 11, 2007. Kentucky reached No. 8 under coach Rich Brooks that season and upset No. 1 and eventual national champion LSU, but finished unranked.
Duke is ranked for the first time since October 2015, giving the football poll a basketball feel. The Wildcats and Blue Devils were last ranked at the same time in September 1957 . . . . Minnesota sophomore safety Antoine Winfield Jr. is out for the rest of the season after injuring his left foot in the first quarter of the Big Ten opener at Maryland . . . .
Wake Forest fired defensive coordinator Jay Sawvel. Coach Dave Clawson announced the move, a day after the Demon Deacons’ 56-27 loss to No.8 Notre Dame, while saying it was “not a spur of the moment decision.”
Wake Forest (2-2) has allowed 97 points in its past two games.
Wake Forest promoted defensive analyst Tim Gilmore to a fulltime coaching position and will split other defensive responsibilities among the remaining staff . . . .
Quinnipiac University officials have confirmed that the school’s men’s lacrosse team has been suspended, effectively immediately. The team is being investigated for possible violations of the university’s student conduct policy.
Golf: Lewis 1st in Portugal
Tom Lewis won the Portugal Masters for a second time after shooting a 5-under 66 in the final round in Vilamoura.
Lewis finished 3 strokes ahead of fellow Englishman Eddie Pepperell (67) and Australia’s Lucas Herbert (71).
Sergio Garcia prepared for the Ryder Cup next weekend with a 65 to finish 7 strokes behind Lewis . . . .
Denny McCarthy won the season-ending Web.com Tour Championship in Atlantic Beach, Fla., to earn fully exempt PGA Tour status. McCarthy closed with a 6-under 65 for a 4-stroke victory over Lucas Glover. The 25-yearold former Virginia player earned $180,000 to top the 25 PGA Tour card-earners with $255,793 in the four-event Web.com Tour Finals.
Misc.: Habs extend Byron
The Montreal Canadiens have agreed to terms on a fouryear contract extension with forward Paul Byron. The deal has an average annual value of $3.4 million.
The 29-year-old Byron had 20 goals and 15 assists in 82 games with the Canadiens last season and ranked second on the team in goals . . . .
Alexander Zverev beat Kevin Anderson to give Team Europe a victory in the second Laver Cup. Zverev won the final five points to defeat Anderson 6-7, 7-5, (107). His victory helped Team Europe beat Team World 13-8.
In Metz, France, Frenchman Gilles Simon earned his third Moselle Open title with a 7-6 (2), 6-1 win over German qualifier Matthias Bachinger.
Dominic Thiem breezed past Martin Klizan 6-3, 6-1 to win the St. Petersburg Open in Russia.
In Seoul, South Korea, Kiki Bertens won her third WTA Tour singles title of the season and denied Ajla Tomljanovic her career first with a 7-6 (2), 4-6, 6-2 win over the Croatian-born Australian.