’Bama, Georgia atop poll; Stanford picks QB McKee
Georgia jumped three spots to No. 2 behind Alabama in the Associated Press Top 25 released Tuesday, giving the SEC the top two teams in the country for the 30th time in the 85-year history of the college football poll.
The Crimson Tide tightened their hold on No. 1 after routing Miami in the first full week of the regular season. Alabama received 59 first-place votes, up from the 47 it had in the preseason poll. Georgia received four first-place votes after beating Clemson 10-3 in the opening weekend’s top game. Ohio State moved up to No. 3 and Oklahoma fell two spots to No. 4. Texas A&M is fifth, giving the SEC three teams in the top five.
Clemson fell three spots to sixth, marking the first time the Tigers have been out of the top four since 2017.
It has been a slow climb for UCLA (2-0) under Chip Kelly, but a 38-27 victory against LSU pushed the Bruins into the rankings at No. 16. LSU fell out of the poll from No. 16.
Sophomore Tanner McKee was named starting quarterback by Stanford head coach David Shaw.
Senior Jack West started Saturday’s season-opening 24-7 loss against Kansas State, throwing two interceptions. McKee led the Cardinal to a late touchdown.
Stanford plays at USC (1-0) on Saturday night.
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3 ex-NFLers admit health care fraud
Former NFL players Clinton Portis, Tamarick Vanover and Robert McCune pleaded guilty for their roles in a nationwide health care-fraud scheme and could face years in prison, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.
Portis, Vanover and McCune admitted to defrauding an NFL program to reimburse medical expenses not covered by insurance for retired players and their families, the Justice Department said.
McCune could face life in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and health care fraud, 13 counts of health care fraud, 11 counts of wire fraud and three counts of aggravated identity theft. His sentencing is Nov. 19.
The DOJ said McCune orchestrated the scheme that resulted in about $2.9 million worth of false and fraudulent claims being filed and $2.5 million paid out between June 2017 and April 2018.
Portis and Vanover each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and could face 10 years in prison. Portis is to be sentenced Jan. 6, Vanover on Jan. 22.
Gonzaga head basketball coach Mark Few was cited for driving under the influence.
The Coeur d’Alene Press and Spokesman-Review acquired a police report through a public information request that says Few was stopped Monday evening after he was “called in as driving erratic and speeding.”
The report stated that Few exhibited “several signs of intoxication” and that he refused to complete field sobriety tests. Few provided breath samples of .119 and .120, above the legal limit of .08.
College basketball: Five-star recruit Shaedon Sharpe has committed to Kentucky. A 6-foot-5 shooting guard, he’s rated No. 4 in the 247 Sports composite for the class of 2022.
Olympics: Some of the world’s largest broadcasters, including American network NBC, are being asked by human rights groups to cancel plans to cover next year’s Winter Olympics in Beijing. The Winter Games are scheduled to open Feb. 4.
The request comes in an open letter from rights groups representing minorities in China, including Uyghurs, Tibetans, Hong Kong residents and others.
The letter, obtained by the Associated Press, was sent to NBC Universal chief executive officer Jeff Shell and other international broadcast executives. NBC is paying $7.75 billion for the rights to the next six Olympics.
WNBA: Brionna Jones had 18 points and 10 rebounds and Connecticut (22-6) beat the host Dallas Wings 83-56 for the Sun’s 10th win in a row. Dallas (12-17) is fighting for one of two remaining playoff spots.
Jewell Loyd scored 20 points, Sue Bird added 14 points and seven assists and the Seattle Storm cruised to a 105-71 win over the Washington Mystics in Everett, Wash.
Soccer: Midfielder Weston McKennie could be back on the U.S. national team in the future, coach Gregg Berhalter said after banishing him from two World Cup qualifiers for violating team COVID-19 protocols. McKennie, one of the national team’s top players, will miss the 10th-ranked U.S. team’s qualifier Wednesday at 63rd-ranked Honduras.
Golf: Turns out that birdie Jon Rahm made on the final hole of the Tour Championship earned him a trophy. Rahm won the points-based Player of the Year award from the PGA of America. He finished with 75 points, with Bryson DeChambeau second at 70 points.