Alabama named unanimous No. 1; Huskies enter poll
College Football: Alabama is a unanimous No. 1 and LSU slipped another spot in The Associated Press college football poll.
The Crimson Tide received all 60 first-place votes for the first time this season. The Tigers had a second straight sketchy performance, this time against Towson, and dropped a spot for the second consecutive week.
LSU won 38-22 at home against the FCS opponent Saturday night and is ranked No. 4 in the new media poll.
Oregon remained No. 2 and Florida State moved to No. 3.
After beating Stanford on Thursday, Washington moved into the rankings at No. 23. No. 24 Northwestern is ranked for the first time this season.
• Former Sooners coach battling cancer: Former University of Oklahoma football coach Chuck Fairbanks, 79, is battling brain cancer and says he’s about to undergo treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix.
The Oklahoman reported that Fairbanks was diagnosed in late August and will begin 42 days of radiation and chemotherapy treatment today.
Fairbanks was named OU head coach in 1967 and led the Sooners to a 52-15-1 record and three Big Eight titles in six seasons. Fairbanks also coached for the NFL’s New England Patriots, the University of Colorado and the USFL’s New Jersey Generals.
NHL, players meet for third straight day
NHL: The NHL and the players’ association met for a third straight day in New York, and again avoided the troublesome money issues that are fueling the ongoing lockout.
“We did not discuss core economic issues, as was the plan,” NHLPA special counsel Steve Fehr said after meeting for five hours with the NHL. “We discussed health and safety, drug testing, including more discussion of drug testing, medical care, etc. Also a number of things in the CBA legal area of player movements.”
There was a thought that talks might continue today, but that doesn’t seem likely as the NHL wants to meet internally with its clubs before getting back together with the players’ association.
“What we did today, and the last two days, I don’t think any of that is going to get a deal done. But they are all necessary elements of the deal,” said Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly.
There is no timetable for talks to resume.
The entire preseason slate of games was canceled by the NHL on Thursday, and regular-season games – scheduled to begin Oct. 11 – could soon be called off, too.