COLLEGE FOOTBALL

USC LEADS YEAR’S FIRST BCS RANKINGS

USC took the top spot yesterday in the season’s first Bowl Championship Series standings, but surprisingly Miami is ahead of Oklahoma in a close race for second.

Oklahoma is no. 2 behind USC in both the Associated Press Top 25 and coaches poll. Put in place after last season’s split national championship, the new BCS formula relies more on the human polls than ever before – each counts for one-third of a team’s total score after the BCS.

The other third is made up of a compilation of six computer rankings, and that’s where Miami made up the difference over the Sooners.

Auburn is fourth with a score of .9036 and Florida State (.8072) is fifth. The Seminoles, with one loss, are ahead of two unbeaten teams – Wisconsin (.7255) and Utah (.7251).

The champions from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Big East, Pac-10, and SEC make up six of the eight teams in the four BCS games – the Orange, Sugar, Rose, and Fiesta bowls. The other two spots go to wild-card teams.

FOOTBALL

GANNON WILL NOT RETURN THIS SEASON

Rich Gannon will not return to the field for the Oakland Raiders this season because of a broken vertebra in his neck. The quarterback, who turns 39 in December, didn’t rule out a return next season and wasn’t ready to say he’s going to retire.

Gannon was knocked out of the game in the first quarter of the Raiders’ 30-20 win over Tampa Bay last month after being hit by linebacker Derrick Brooks.

RICE MIGHT BE HEADED TO SEATTLE

Jerry Rice could be headed north to reunite with Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren. The disgruntled receiver asked for a trade last week, and Holmgren confirmed yesterday the Seahawks were looking into ways to acquire him from the Oakland Raiders.

Holmgren was Rice’s offensive coordinator from 1989-1991 with the San Francisco 49ers.

MOSS, KENDALL, BROWN PROBABLE FOR SUNDAY

Jets receiver Santana Moss, and guards Pete Kendall and Brandon Moore are probable for Sunday’s game against New England.

All three missed this week’s victory over San Francisco with injuries. Moss and Moore had strained hamstrings, while Kendall sat out with a broken right toe. Coach Herman Edwards also said LB Sam Cowart (sprained left knee) and FB B.J. Askew (shoulder) are questionable this week.

WISTROM SIDELINED FOR UP TO SIX WEEKS

Seattle Seahawks defensive end Grant Wistrom will be out 4-to-6 weeks with a small fracture in his left knee. Coach Mike Holmgren said that Wistrom will be replaced by Antonio Cochran .

BASKETBALL

NETS BLOWN OUT BY CAVALIERS

Jeff McInnis scored 22 points, Drew Gooden had 15 rebounds, and LeBron James had 10 points, seven rebounds, and five assists to lead the Cavaliers to an 88-69 exhibition win over the Nets last night.

McInnis scored 14 points and James got all 10 of his during the third quarter when the Cavaliers’ starting unit dominated, pulled away. Rodney Buford and Travis Best had nine points each for New Jersey, which shot just 36% and was outrebounded 48-32. The Nets were again without All-Star guard Jason Kidd and center Alonzo Mourning.

O’NEAL SHINES IN MIAMI DEBUT

Shaquille O’Neal had a nearly effortless 15 points, six rebounds, and three blocks in 21 minutes last night as Miami opened a big early lead and cruised past Atlanta 92-82. It was O’Neal’s one and only preseason performance in his new home city.

The new Heat center decided to play after missing Miami’s two previous games with a sore hamstring. The game drew a near-sellout crowd of 18,454.

TENNIS

DAVENPORT PUTS OFF RETIREMENT

Back at no. 1, Lindsay Davenport is putting retirement on hold and plans to play in next year’s Australian Open. Davenport, 28, officially moved atop the WTA Tour computer rankings for the sixth time yesterday and said she tentatively has worked out a 2005 schedule through March.

Davenport said at Wimbledon that she thought this would be her final season. But a strong summer, including four straight titles and a 22-match winning streak, changed her mind. She moved up one place to overtake Amelie Mauresmo, who is now ranked second, followed by Russians Anastasia Myskina, Svetlana Kuznetsova, and Elena Dementieva. Former no. 1 Justine Henin-Hardenne tumbled from no. 3 to no. 6.

– Associated Press