Alabama jumps Oklahoma to take No. 3 spot in college football poll
Alabama inched up to No. 3 in The Associated Press college football Sunday behind top-ranked Georgia and No. 2 Cincinnati.
The Bulldogs (63 firstplace votes) are a unanimous No. 1 for the third straight week in the latest AP Top 25 presented by Regions Bank, and the Bearcats remain second.
The Crimson Tide jumped up a spot past Oklahoma after blowing out Tennessee. The now fourth-ranked Sooners were shut out in the first half against Kansas before scoring 35 in the second half and pulling away late.
No. 5 Ohio State and No. 6 Michigan both held their spots.
Oregon moved up three spots to No. 7. No. 8 Michigan State, No. 9 Iowa and No. 10 Mississippi round out the top 10.
Golf
MATSUYAMA WINS IN JAPAN >>
Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama had three birdies in five holes on the back nine and eagled the 18th for good measure for a fivestroke victory at the PGA Tour’s Zozo Championship.
It was Matsuyama’s first PGA Tour win in his native Japan, although he’s only had one previous attempt. In 2019, Tiger Woods won the inaugural Zozo Championship, the first PGA Tour event in Japan, and last year the tournament was moved to California due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Matsuyama finished with a 65 and a 15-under total of 265 at Narashino Country Club. It was his seventh PGA Tour victory. If there was any doubt, Matsuyama hit a three-wood to about 12 feet with his second shot on the par-5 18th.
KO WINS LPGA EVENT >> Jin Young Ko birdied her first playoff hole with fellow South Korean player Hee Jeong Lim to win the BMW Ladies Championship.
The LPGA Tour said Ko is projected to become world No. 1 with the win, overtaking American Nelly Korda.
Motor sports
VERSTAPPEN WINS U.S. GRAND PRIX >> Max Verstappen held off Formula One title rival Lewis Hamilton over the final thrilling laps of the U.S. Grand Prix to win his eighth race of the season and double his lead in the championship standings.
Verstappen, who entered the Circuit of the Americas with a six-point lead over Hamilton in the standings, now leads the seventime champion by 12 points with five races remaining.
Hamilton settled for second.
LARSON WINS ANOTHER NASCAR RACE >> Kyle Larson drove to yet another victory, his ninth of the year and most meaningful to date in his new job with Hendrick Motorsports.
Larson drove the No. 5 Chevrolet to victory lane at Kansas Speedway on the 17th anniversary of a Hendrick plane crash that killed all 10 people aboard. The plane was traveling to a race in Virginia and among those killed was Rick Hendrick’s only son.
Ricky Hendrick used the No. 5 during his driving career and the 24-yearold was the heir apparent of NASCAR’s winningest team at the time of his death.
Soccer
LIVERPOOL ROUTS UNITED
There was a pick of moments that confirmed Manchester United’s humiliation against Liverpool.
Maybe it came with Mohamed Salah completing his hat trick by the 50th minute. Or in the celebrations as Liverpool defender Andy Robertson was heard repeatedly shouting “Keep going” at his teammates when they were already 5-0 up showing no mercy.
Or there was the sight of Alex Ferguson shaking his head, sighing in the Old Trafford directors’ box at seeing the shambles unfolding in the team he once led to so much glory. Close by was his one-time Liverpool managerial adversary, Kenny Dalglish, beaming in delight.
BARCELONA FANS HARASS KOEMAN >> Angry fans surrounded Ronald Koeman’s car and shouted insults at the Barcelona coach as he tried to leave Camp Nou following his team’s latest painful loss since the departure of Lionel Messi.
Barcelona slumped to a 2-1 home defeat to Real Madrid in front of 86,000 spectators back for Camp Nou’s first “clásico” match without crowd restrictions since the pandemic.
After the game, when Koeman tried to leave in his car, the former Barcelona great had to endure the vitriol of dozens of mostly young men.