COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Tennessee moved into a tie with Ohio State for No. 2 in The Associated Press college football poll Sunday to set up a 1 vs. 2 matchup next week with top-ranked Georgia.
Georgia-Tennessee will be the 25th regular-season game matching the top two teams in the AP poll, and the third straight involving Southeastern Conference teams. Neither the Bulldogs nor the Volunteers have ever played in a 1-2 game in the regular season.
Georgia remained No. 1 for the fourth straight week, receiving 30 first-place votes and 1,528 points in the AP Top 25 presented by Regions Bank.
The Volunteers moved up a spot, receiving 18 first-place votes and 1,500 points to match Ohio State. The Buckeyes received 15 first-place votes. The last time there was a tie at No. 2 in the AP poll was Nov. 14, 2004, between Auburn and Oklahoma behind No. 1 Southern California.
On Saturday, Tennessee routed Kentucky 44-6 and Ohio State won 44-31 at Penn State.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan State has suspended four players for their role in roughing up Michigan players in a stadium tunnel after losing a game.
Spartans coach Mel Tucker announced Sunday night that linebacker Tank Brown, safety Angelo Grose, defensive end Zion Young and cornerback Khary Crump were suspended immediately.
Scuffles broke out in the Michigan Stadium tunnel after fourth-ranked Wolverines beat the Spartans 29-7 Saturday night. Social media posts showed at Michigan State players pushing, punching and kicking Michigan’s Ja’Den McBurrows in and near a hallway that doesn’t lead to either locker room. Brown, Grose and Young are seen on video getting physical with McBurrows.
McBurrows and defensive back Gemon Green went up the tunnel, walking alongside the Spartans, after the game while much of Michigan’s team was waving them off the field after beating their in-state rivals for the first time in three years.
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said Saturday night that one of the players, who he did not identify, might have a broken nose. A social media post on Sunday showed a Wolverine, who appears to be Green, getting roughed up by Spartans.
BASEBALL
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals hired Tampa Bay Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro as manager Sunday night, turning over the young core of a rebuilding franchise to a forward-thinking manager with experience winning in a small market.
Quatraro replaces Mike Matheny, who was fired as part of a wide-spread shakeup within the Royals after a 65-97 finish for their sixth straight losing season. Quatraro was chosen by Royals general manager J.J. Picollo, who took over as head of the club’s baseball operations after the firing of longtime front-office executive Dayton Moore.
The Royals interviewed their own bench coach, Pedro Grifol, along with third base coach Vance Wilson and Triple-A Omaha manager Scott Thorman. They also expressed interest in Los Angeles Dodgers first base coach Clayton McCullough and Boston Red Sox bench coach Will Venable, who have been linked to manager openings elsewhere.
GOLF
DORAL, Fla. (AP) — Dustin Johnson watched the final putt of his season roll in, pumped his right fist and waited for the party to begin.
Another big celebration. Another big check, too.
Johnson drove the green on the 370-yard par-4 16th to set up an easy birdie that provided a bit of breathing room, Patrick Reed birdied his last hole to put their squad ahead for good and 4Aces GC captured the season-ending LIV Golf team championship at Trump National Doral on Sunday by one shot over Cameron Smith and Punch GC.
The victory capped a monster earnings year for Johnson, by far the biggest money winner in the first year of LIV. Including his $18 million for winning the season-long individual title, Johnson finished with $35,637,767 in earnings.
Johnson (70), Reed (70), Talor Gooch (71) and Pat Perez (70) shot a combined 7 under 281 on the par-72 Sunday — and split $16 million.
WOMEN'S SOCCER
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sophia Smith, the season’s Most Valuable Player, scored early and the Portland Thorns won their third National Women’s Soccer League championship Saturday night with a 2-0 victory over the Kansas City Current.
The Thorns also won NWSL championships in 2013, the league’s inaugural season, and again in 2017. The three titles are the most for any team in the league.
The Current had a costly turnover before Smith went down the field, maneuvered around goalkeeper Adrianna Franch and deftly scored in the fourth minute.
Smith nearly had another goal in the 27th minute, but her shot went just wide. Smith is the second MVP recipient to score in the championship game, joining Lynn Williams for North Carolina in 2016. At 22, she’s also the youngest player to score in a league final.
Smith was honored as MVP earlier this week after scoring a club-record 14 goals during the regular season.
An own goal off Kansas City’s Addisyn Merrick doubled Portland’s lead in the 56th minute. Moments later, Morgan Weaver had a shot from distance but Franch got a hand on it before it hit the crossbar and caromed away.
