COLLEGE FOOTBALL

AFTER WEEKEND UPSETS, SHAKEUP IN AP POLL

For the first time this season, the Associated Press poll received a serious shakeup – just not at the top.

Big wins by Auburn, Georgia, California, and Purdue, combined with surprising losses by West Virginia, Ohio State, and Fresno State, helped to overhaul the poll released yesterday. The top five remained the same for the third straight week, with no. 1 Southern California followed by Oklahoma, Georgia, Miami, and Texas.

From there, changes were plentiful – including defending co-champion LSU’s 11-spot drop to no. 24.Auburn’s 34-10 victory at Tennessee on Saturday moved the Tigers into national title contention and to no. 6 in the rankings. Cal will head into its showdown with USC next week ranked seventh after winning 49-7 at Oregon State. No. 9 Purdue cracked the top 10 for the first time this season with a 41-16 victory against Notre Dame, the Boilermakers’ first win at South Bend in 30 years.

The top eight teams were the same in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll.

The Buckeyes and Mountaineers, top 10 teams since the preseason, each slipped by double digits. Ohio State was 18th after losing to Northwestern for the first time in 33 years. The Wildcats won 33-27 in overtime. West Virginia’s 19-13 loss at Virginia Tech wasn’t quite as stunning, but ultimately it may have been more costly. The Mountaineers fell to 16th, and with a relatively weak Big East schedule left, they probably won’t have a chance to work themselves back into the national title race.

GOLF

ELS MOVES PAST WOODS TO NO. 2 RANKING

Ernie Els outlasted Thomas Bjorn in a brilliantly played duel at Mount Juliet, Ireland, yesterday, closing with a 3-under 69 to win the American Express Championship by one shot. The win, his fourth of the year, allowed the South African to move past Tiger Woods to no. 2 in the world ranking, and gave Els another chance to reach no. 1 by the end of the year.

His next target is Vijay Singh, who didn’t play this week because of damage to his Florida home by Hurricane Jeanne. Woods battled a back injury all week and said he was happy to finish 72 holes. He now is no. 3 for the first time since May 1999.

TENNIS

FEDERER EARNS MILESTONE WIN OVER RODDICK

Top-ranked Roger Federer routed an injured Andy Roddick 6-4, 6-0 yesterday to capture the Thailand Open, joining John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg as the only players to win 12 straight ATP Tour finals in the last 25 years.

Federer needed just 58 minutes to defeat the second-seeded Roddick, whose elbow was sore from his semifinal victory over Marat Safin.

Federer has won three majors this year – the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open. He started the streak in Vienna, Austria, last October. He reached the semifinals at Madrid and quarterfinals at Paris before winning the Tennis Masters Cup final in Houston to close the 2003 season.

Also yesterday, Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic won his first ATP title, defeating Filippo Volandri of Italy 6-3, 6-3 at the Campionati Internazionali di Sicilia, and Argentina’s Guillermo Canas won his third title of the year with a 6-1, 6-0 rout of Germany’s Lars Burgsmuller at the Shanghai Open.

DEMENTIEVA, SHARAPOVA AMONG WEEKEND WINNERS

Top-seeded Elena Dementieva won the last five games to come back and beat Elena Bovina 0-6, 6-0, 6-4 yesterday in the WTA Tour’s latest all-Russian final to win the Gaz de France Stars tournament. Also yesterday, Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova overwhelmed first-time finalist Marta Domachowska 6-1, 6-1 to win the inaugural Korea Open, and Li Na became the first Chinese to win a WTA singles title, downing Slovakia’s Martina Sucha 6-3, 6-4 in the Guangzhou Open final.

CYCLING

FREIRE WINS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROAD RACE

Spain’s Oscar Freire won the road race at the cycling world championships for the third time yesterday in a sprint finish. He joined Belgium’s Eddy Merckx and Rik Van Steenbergen and Italy’s Alfredo Binda as the only three-time winners. Germany’s Erik Zabel was second and Italy’s Luca Paolini third.

– Associated Press