COLLEGES
Ohio State, Georgia, Michigan and Florida State sat atop the season’s first College Football Playoff rankings Tuesday night, with unbeaten Washington and its Pac-12 rival, Oregon, next up.
Texas was seventh and Alabama eighth.
The Buckeyes (8-0) are No. 1 in for the fourth time in the 10-year history of the CFP, and first time since 2019.
Two-time defending champion Georgia (8-0) and Michigan (8-0) have been Nos. 1 and 2 in The Associated Press college football poll since the preseason, but schedules light on big-time competition to this point worked against them with the 13-member selection committee.
The Wolverines head into the final month of the season with the program being investigated by the NCAA for a sign-stealing scheme that allegedly involved impermissible in-person scouting.
Florida State (8-0) is in the CFP top-four for the first time since the 2014 season.
The first of six rankings sets the table for a month of scrutiny on the top teams and their performances.
The final rankings will be released Dec. 3, after the conference championship games, and those set the four-team playoff field, with semifinals at the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl ahead of the national championship game on Jan. 8 in Houston.
This is the final season of the four-team format before the playoff expands to 12 teams next season.
• An injury requiring surgery has put an end to the season for Ohio State running back Miyan Williams, Coach Ryan Day said.
Day declined to discuss specifics of Williams’ injury.
The fourth-year back was unavailable for the third-ranked Buckeyes (8-0) last Saturday at Wisconsin with no explanation. The previous week he rushed for a season-high 62 yards and a touchdown in the win over Penn State.
HOCKEY
AHL: Two former Maine Mariners were named for induction into the AHL Hall of Fame Class of 2024.
Gordie Clark, who played for the Maine Mariners and was an assistant coach, and Roy Sommer, were among the four people selected.
Clark played parts of five seasons with the Mariners, scoring 50 goals in the 1980-81 season. He later was an assistant coach in 1987-88 and 88-89 before being promoted to Boston. He is currently works for the Montreal Canadiens.
Sommer played two seasons with the Mariners, 1983-84 and 84-85 and then went on to become the winningest coach in the AHL with 828 wins.
Dennis Bonvie and Gerry Ehman were also named for induction, which will take place on Feb. 5.
NHL: Cam Talbot made 30 saves as the visiting Los Angeles Kings beat Toronto 4-1 in a game in which Maple Leafs winger William Nylander extended his season-opening point streak to a franchise record nine games.
SOCCER
WORLD CUP: Saudi Arabia is all but certain to host the men’s 2034 World Cup after the Australian soccer federation decided not to enter the bidding contest, which had been widely seen as shaped by FIFA to suit the oil-rich kingdom.
FIFA had set Tuesday as the deadline for its member federations in Asia and Oceania to formally declare interest in hosting the tournament, and it later confirmed that only Saudi Arabia was in.
Australia’s decision not to enter the race left Saudi Arabia alone as a declared candidate — to the dismay of many human rights activists.
FIFA still needs to rubber stamp Saudi Arabia as the host — a decision that is likely to be made late next year — but that now seems a formality.
HORSE RACING
DEATH: A horse set to run in this weekend’s Breeders’ Cup died at Santa Anita, and a short time later, Belmont Stakes winner Arcangelo dropped out of the $6 million Classic.
Trainer Jena Antonucci said she ran out of time trying to resolve an issue with Arcangelo’s left hind foot. The colt had not trained the last two days after having the shoe on that foot removed last weekend.
Arcangelo had drawn the No. 1 post and was listed at 7-2 odds on the morning line for the Classic. His scratch reduces the field to 11. Kentucky Derby winner Mage had been expected to run in the Classic but never arrived at Santa Anita after spiking a fever last weekend.
Practical Move was returning from a morning gallop when he experienced a suspected cardiac event, according to a statement from Breeders’ Cup officials. His rider wasn’t hurt.
Veterinarians from the California Horse Racing Board, 1/ST Racing and the Breeders’ Cup tended to the 3-year-old colt.
Practical Move was the early 3-1 second choice for the $1 million Dirt Mile on Saturday at the 40th world championships.
TENNIS
PARIS MASTERS: Carlos Alcaraz’s hopes of finishing the season as the top-ranked player took a hit after a 6-3, 6-4 loss to qualifier Roman Safiullin in the second round at Paris.
In his return from injury, Alcaraz dropped serve four times and made 27 unforced errors to 21 for Safiullin, a former world No. 2 junior.
Alcaraz was knocked out in the fourth round of the Shanghai Masters nearly three weeks ago and withdrew from the Swiss Indoors in Basel because of a left foot injury and muscle fatigue to his lower back.
Alcaraz leads the ATP Tour with six titles this year but hasn’t lifted any trophy since Wimbledon. He seems to be running on fumes lately because of his demanding style of play.
Last season, Alcaraz became the youngest year-end No. 1 in the history of the ATP rankings. He is looking to achieve the extraordinary feat of claiming two year-end No. 1 finishes at only 20.
WTA FINALS: Jessica Pegula converted her seventh match point to complete a 6-4, 6-3 victory over No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka at Cancun, Mexico, to close in on a semifinal berth.
Pegula won all four sets she’s played in round-robin action, a year after going 0-3 at the season-ending championship.
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