‘Bama jumps OU to No. 3 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 fourthranked 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.
In a week with no games matching ranked teams, five ranked teams lost, including two in the top 10. Penn State dropped 13 spots to No. 20 after losing in a record nine overtime periods to Illinois. Oklahoma State fell from No. 8 to 15th after losing at Iowa State.
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 five-stroke 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.
Ko was No. 1-ranked from July 20, 2019, to June 27, 2021, a streak of 100 consecutive weeks, and was also world No. 1 for 12 weeks in early 2019. It was Ko’s 11th career LPGA win.
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 seven-time champion by 12 points with five races remaining.
Hamilton in his Mercedes was bearing down on Verstappen over the final 18 laps and had cut the Red Bull driver’s lead to less than 1 second by the final lap. But he couldn’t make the pass at the end and settled for second.
MLB
BRAVES BEAT L.A., REACH WORLD SERIES >> Eddie Rosario capped a remarkable NL Championship Series with a three-run homer, sending the Atlanta Braves to the World Series for the first time since 1999 with a 4-2 victory over the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night.
The Braves won the bestof-seven series four games to two, exorcising the demons of last year’s NLCS — when Atlanta squandered 2-0 and 3-1 leads against the Dodgers — and advancing to face the AL champion Astros.
Game 1 is Tuesday night at Minute Maid Park in Houston.
Premier League
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.
MLS EARTHQUAKES 1, WHITECAPS 1>>
Benjamin Kikanovic scored for the second consecutive game Saturday and San Jose tied Vancouver.