Sports 2000

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim defeated Texas, 5-2, to eliminate Texas from postseason contention. Boston, despite losing, 4-3, to Toronto clinched the American League wild-card berth following Texas’s loss.

Minnesota and Detroit split a doubleheader Tuesday; therefore, Detroit remains two games ahead of Minnesota. Colorado leads the National League wild-card race by three games over Atlanta. Philadelphia and the Los Angeles Dodgers could earn NL playoff berths Wednesday.

Phoenix outlasted Indiana, 120-116, in overtime to win the first game of the WNBA Finals. Game 2 will be Friday in Phoenix. Games 3 and, if necessary, 4 will be at Indiana next week.

Matchday 2 of the UEFA Champions League began Tuesday. In Group E, Fiorentina beat visiting Liverpool, 2-0, and Olympique Lyonnais crushed host Debreceni, 4-0. In Group F, Inter Milan drew at Rubin Kazan, 1-1, and Barcelona defeated guest Dinamo Kiev, 2-0. In Group G, Stuttgart tied at Unirea Urziceni, 1-1, and Seville thrashed host Rangers, 4-1. In Group H, Alkmaar drew with Liege, 1-1, and Arsenal beat guest Olympiakos, 2-0. Sixteen more teams compete in group matches Wednesday.

Dallas won its first game at its new billion-dollar stadium with a strong second half to beat Carolina, 21-7. Carolina (0-3) scored the only points in the first half with a solid two-minute drill.

Dallas (2-1) was sloppy during the first half but notched 10 points in the third quarter to take the lead. After a fourth-quarter field goal extended the lead to 13-7, Terence Newman intercepted a Jake Delhomme pass with five minutes left to play and returned it for a touchdown. The subsequent two-point conversion provided the final margin.

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim crushed visiting Texas Monday, 11-0, to clinch the American League West. Boston lost at home to Toronto, 11-5, in a game shortened to seven innings by rain. Boston will clinch the AL wild card with one more victory or one more Texas loss.

Detroit and Minnesota must win one more day to begin their pivotal four-game series in Detroit. Rain Monday means there will be a doubleheader Tuesday. Detroit leads the AL Central by two games. In the National League, Colorado leads Atlanta in the wild card race by two games with six games left.

Southeastern: #1 Florida (4-0)

The Gators cruised past Kentucky (1-3), 41-7, Saturday. The bigger problem is Tim Tebow’s concussion. He was released from a local hospital after spending a night. Florida is off this week before visiting #4 LSU next week. If the Gators beat the Tigers, they’ll be poised to make a run at a third BCS title in four years.

Florida’s remaining schedule

Oct. 10: At Louisiana State
Oct. 17: Home vs. Arkansas
Oct. 24: At Mississippi State
Oct. 31: Vs. Georgia in Jacksonville
Nov. 7: Home vs. Vanderbilt
Nov. 14: At South Carolina
Nov. 21: Home vs. Florida International
Nov. 28: Home vs. Florida State

Big 12: #2 Texas (4-0)

Colt McCoy threw an early interception that was returned for a touchdown against Texas-El Paso (1-3). However, that blip was the only misstep Saturday as Texas won, 64-7. The Longhorns enjoy a bye this week before hosting Colorado (1-3) next week. The key mid-season game remains against Oklahoma.

Texas’ remaining schedule

Oct. 10: Home vs. Colorado
Oct. 17: Vs. Oklahoma in Dallas
Oct. 24: At Missouri
Oct. 31: At Oklahoma State
Nov. 7: Home vs. Central Florida
Nov. 14: At Baylor
Nov. 21: Home vs. Kansas
Nov. 26: At Texas A&M

Automatic At-Large: #3 Alabama (4-0)

Arkansas (1-3) quarterback Ryan Mallett struggled mightily against the Crimson Tide defense. Alabama won in surprisingly easy fashion, 35-7. The Tide must not let down Saturday against Kentucky (2-2). SEC road games are usually tricky.

Alabama’s remaining schedule

Oct. 3: At Kentucky
Oct. 10: At Mississippi
Oct. 17: Home vs. South Carolina
Oct. 24: Home vs. Tennessee
Nov. 7: Home vs. Louisiana State
Nov. 14: At Mississippi State
Nov. 21: Home vs. Chattanooga
Nov. 27: At Auburn

Western Athletic: #5 Boise State (4-0)

The Broncos maintained their torrid start by thrashing host Bowling Green (1-3), 49-14. BSU faces Division I-AA UC Davis Saturday before spending most of the rest of October on the road.

Boise State’s remaining schedule

Oct. 3: Home vs. UC Davis
Oct. 14: At Tulsa
Oct. 25: At Hawaii
Oct. 31: Home vs. San Jose State
Nov. 6: At Louisiana Tech
Nov. 14: Home vs. Idaho
Nov. 20: At Utah State
Nov. 27: Home vs. Nevada
Dec. 5: Home vs. New Mexico State

Atlantic Coast: #6 Virginia Tech (3-1)

The Hokies smashed #17 Miami (2-1), 31-7, at home Saturday to take control of their division. A big game against #25 Georgia Tech (3-1) looms at mid-month. Before then, the Hokies have to maintain concentration against two struggling conference foes.

Virginia Tech’s remaining schedule

Oct. 3: At Duke
Oct. 10: Home vs. Boston College
Oct. 17: At Georgia Tech
Oct. 29: Home vs. North Carolina
Nov. 5: At East Carolina
Nov. 14: At Maryland
Nov. 21: Home vs. North Carolina State
Nov. 28: At Virginia

Pacific-10: #7 USC (3-1)

The Trojans started strongly against conference doormat Washington State by scoring 20 points in the first quarter. However, USC only won the last 45 minutes, 7-6, en route to a lackluster 27-6 victory. The Trojans must play better Saturday on the road against an angry #24 California (3-1) squad that was embarrassed at #16 Oregon (3-1), 42-3, Saturday.

USC’s remaining schedule

Oct. 3: At California
Oct. 17: At Notre Dame
Oct. 24: Home vs. Oregon State
Oct. 31: At Oregon
Nov. 7: At Arizona State
Nov. 14: Home vs. Stanford
Nov. 28: Home vs. UCLA
Dec. 5: Home vs. Arizona

At-Large: #8 Oklahoma (2-1)

The Sooners rested last week and rose two spots. Oklahoma will face #17 Miami (2-1) Saturday in south Florida. The Hurricanes were dismantled by Virginia Tech and will try to rebound. The game’s loser can forget about the BCS championship.

Oklahoma’s remaining schedule

Oct. 3: At U. of Miami
Oct. 10: Home vs. Baylor
Oct. 17: Vs. Texas in Dallas
Oct. 24: At Kansas
Oct. 31: Home vs. Kansas State
Nov. 7: At Nebraska
Nov. 14: Home vs. Texas A&M
Nov. 21: At Texas Tech
Nov. 28: Home vs. Oklahoma State

Big Ten: #9 Ohio State (3-1)

The Buckeyes frustrated Illinois quarterback Juice Williams and picked the Fighting Illini defense apart three points at a time before delivering a few big blows late in the contest. OSU won, 30-0, and regained the top spot among conference teams in the AP poll. Indiana (3-1) has been playing well but lost a big game Saturday to Michigan. The Hoosiers must regroup against OSU.

Ohio State’s remaining schedule

Oct. 3: At Indiana
Oct. 10: Home vs. Wisconsin
Oct. 17: At Purdue
Oct. 24: Home vs. Minnesota
Oct. 31: Home vs. New Mexico State
Nov. 7: At Penn State
Nov. 14: Home vs. Iowa
Nov. 21: At Michigan

Big East: #10 Cincinnati (4-0)

The Bearcats outlasted a game Fresno State (1-3) squad, 28-20, Saturday. The Bulldogs are likely the best 1-3 team in the country. Cincinnati’s upcoming schedule doesn’t seem to be too daunting. Three consecutive home games in November will be welcome if a BCS berth is on the line.

Cincinnati’s remaining schedule

Oct. 3: At Miami U.
Oct. 15: At South Florida
Oct. 24: Home vs. Louisville
Oct. 31: At Syracuse
Nov. 7: Home vs. Connecticut
Nov. 13: Home vs. West Virginia
Nov. 27: Home vs. Illinois
Dec. 5: At Pittsburgh

At-Large: #13 Iowa (4-0)

The Hawkeyes seemed to have everything against them Saturday. They trailed #15 Penn State (3-1), 10-0, after one quarter. The Happy Valley crowd was in a “white out.” The Pennsylvania skies were stormy. Iowa managed to stay close until the fourth quarter. The Hawkeyes took the lead when Adrian Clayborn blocked a punt, recovered the ball and returned it 53 yards for what proved to be the winning touchdown. Two more Iowa scores increased the final margin to 21-10. Next week’s home game against #22 Michigan (4-0) looms.

Iowa’s remaining schedule

Oct. 3: Home vs. Arkansas State
Oct. 10: Home vs. Michigan
Oct. 17: At Wisconsin
Oct. 24: At Michigan State
Oct. 31: Home vs. Indiana
Nov. 7: Home vs. Northwestern
Nov. 14: At Ohio State
Nov. 21: Home vs. Minnesota

The other teams in the at-large pool are:

#4 Louisiana State (4-0), SEC
#11 Texas Christian (3-0), Mountain West
#12 Houston (3-0), Conference USA
#14 Oklahoma State (3-1), Big 12

The BCS Championship Game would pit Florida against Texas. USC and Ohio State would have a rematch in the Rose Bowl. The Sugar Bowl would choose Alabama to replace Florida. Since two SEC teams would be included, LSU is now ineligible. The Fiesta Bowl would tab Oklahoma to replace Texas. Therefore, Oklahoma State is now off the board.

The Sugar Bowl would take Cincinnati. The midwestern team with a high-powered offense would be an exciting matchup for Alabama. The Orange Bowl would choose Iowa next, leaving Boise State for the Fiesta Bowl. The BCS game projections for Sept. 28 are as follows:

BCS Championship: Florida vs. Texas
Rose: USC vs. Ohio State
Sugar: Alabama vs. Cincinnati
Fiesta: Boise State vs. Oklahoma
Orange: Virginia Tech vs. Iowa