Miami tries to stay unbeaten
SYRACUSE, N.Y., Nov. 29 (UPI) -- The college football spotlight this weekend turns to top-ranked Miami (10-0), which can set up an undisputed heavyweight title bout with No. 2 Ohio State by winning Saturday at Syracuse and next week at home against Virginia Tech.
The Hurricanes will be most watched team in the sport, particularly by one-loss teams such as Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Georgia and Iowa, all of whom are looking for a backdoor route to the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Ariz., where the national championship game will be played.
Miami continues its quest Saturday when it brings a 32-game winning streak to upstate New York for a meeting with the Orangemen. The defending national champions endured a close call last week before escaping with a 28-21 win over Pittsburgh at the Orange Bowl.
"No teams are going to give it to us," said quarterback Ken Dorsey.
Syracuse has posed a minimal threat in recent years. Miami has won the last three games in the series by a combined score of 130-13, and leads the all-time series, 13-7.
In addition, the Hurricanes have posted shutouts in the last two meetings, 26-0 at the Carrier Dome in 2000, and 59-0 last year at the Orange Bowl.
The Hurricanes have won 22 straight Big East Conference games and 16 straight overall on the road. They also are 22-0 under Coach Larry Coker.
Should Miami stumble, the team next in line for a Fiesta Bowl berth likely would be fourth-ranked Oklahoma (10-1), which moved up to third in the latest BCS standings after Washington State lost to Washington last week.
Oklahoma clinched a berth in the Big 12 title game against Colorado with a 60-15 pasting of outmanned Texas Tech last week, and will visit Oklahoma State on Saturday afternoon in the latest edition of the Bedlam Game.
Last year, the Cowboys shocked the Sooners, 16-13, in Norman in one of the season's biggest upsets. The loss cost Oklahoma, which was ranked fourth at the time, a shot at a second straight national title.
No. 7 Notre Dame (10-1) needs plenty of help to get to the Fiesta Bowl, but likely will earn a berth in one of the lucrative BCS bowls with a win over sixth-ranked Southern California (9-2). Standing in the way of a lucrative payday for Notre Dame is one of the hottest quarterbacks in the country in USC's Carson Palmer.
He has made a late push for the Heisman Trophy and will lead the Trojans on Saturday night in the 74th edition of one of the best intersectional rivalries in college football. Palmer threw four touchdown passes in last week's 52-21 rout of UCLA. In his last five games, he has thrown for 1,581 yards and 19 touchdowns.
"It is obvious to everyone that he poses more than just a little problem," said Notre Dame Coach Tyrone Willingham, who faced USC yearly in his previous job at Stanford. The Trojans have won six straight games, and also are in contention for a BCS berth.
USC also can clinch the Pac-10 title and a trip to the Rose Bowl if Washington State loses to UCLA next week.
"There is a lot on the line in this game," said Notre Dame flanker Arnaz Battle. "Both teams have BCS dreams."
Notre Dame is seventh in the latest BCS standings and is guaranteed a berth if it finishes at least sixth in the final standings. The Irish has relied on their defense, and that unit will be tested by USC, which has reached 40 points in a season five times for the first time since 1979.
Fifth-ranked Georgia (10-1), another school hoping for teams above it to lose, hosts Georgia Tech on Saturday. The Bulldogs already have clinched the SEC East title, and will meet the winner of Friday's game between No. 17 LSU (8-3) and Arkansas in the league championship game on Dec. 7 in Atlanta.
LSU , which has a one-game lead over Arkansas, will capture the outright division crown with a victory. An Arkansas triumph would create a three-way tie with LSU and Auburn, but the Razorbacks would win the division with three losses based on wins over the other two teams.
Alabama leads the SEC West at 6-2, but is ineligible for postseason play because it is on NCAA probation.
Two other games involving ranked teams are scheduled for Friday afternoon.
Nebraska tries to make amends for last season's 62-36 humiliation in Boulder when it hosts No. 15 Colorado (8-3). The Buffaloes already have clinched the Big 12 North title, and will face Oklahoma for the league title on Dec. 7 in Houston.
Also Friday, No. 10 Texas (9-2) hosts Texas A&M in what likely will be an emotional game for the Aggies following the death of freshman defensive end Brandon Fails on Monday.
Saturday's schedule also has No. 11 Florida (8-3) visiting No. 22 Florida State (8-4). It will mark the first time since 1986 that neither team will rank in the top 10 in the rankings.
In a notable Big East game, No. 22 West Virginia (8-3) visits No. 18 Pittsburgh (8-3) with the winner likely earning a trip to the Gator Bowl. West Virginia last week knocked off No. 19 Virginia Tech (8-3), which will try to bounce back Saturday when it hosts archrival Virginia for the Commonwealth Cup.
In other games, Wake Forest is at No. 23 Maryland (9-3), and Alabama closes its season with a visit to No. 24 Hawaii (9-2).
Jordan says this season is his last
WASHINGTON, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- Washington Wizards guard Michael Jordan said after practice Thursday that he plans to make this season his last as a player.
"Right now, I'm fulfilling my contract," Jordan said. "At the end of this season, I'm not looking to enter another contract. Right now I want to finish this year out and hopefully fulfill my obligations and let this team take its own course."
Jordan, 39, signed a two-year contract before the 2001-02 season and left open the possibility before this season that he might play another season.
Jordan, who missed 20 games in the 2001-02 campaign because of knee problems last season, has taken on a diminished role this season by coming off the bench to limit his minutes, but he does not feel that move has diminished his ability.
"I'm pretty sure I can go from 37 [minutes] to 25 on certain nights and allow the other players to play," he said. "My minutes are going to be predicated in terms of what's happening with the team. That's what I want everybody to understand. There's no locked-in minutes when I play. If we're winning, my minutes are down. If we're struggling and I have to step in and pick up the slack, my minutes are going to be up."
He also retired after the 1992-93 and 1997-98 seasons, both times after completing runs of three straight championships with the Chicago Bulls.
It is possible that Jordan may take an executive position with the Wizards, which he did for two seasons before returning for a third stint in uniform.
"My intent is to go back upstairs," said Jordan, who turns 40 in February.
Washington (6-8) tries to snap a four-game skid Friday night at Indiana. The Pacers (12-2) beat formerly unbeaten Dallas Thursday night.
Woods, Mickelson head Skins Game
INDIO, Calif., Nov. 29 (UPI) -- After a dominant performance in the Grand Slam of Golf, Tiger Woods heads a four-player field again in the annual Skins Game.
Phil Mickelson, two-time majors winner Mark O'Meara, and former Masters champion Fred Couples also will compete in the lucrative event beginning Saturday at the Landmark Golf Club at Indio, Calif.
Woods is coming off a dominant 14-stroke victory in the Grand Slam of Golf, an unofficial two-round event. The world's best player fired an 11-under-par 61 on Wednesday for a 36-hole total of 17-under 127.
Woods, just 26, has claimed 11 major titles, tying him with Walter Hagen for third on the all-time list behind Jack Nicklaus (20) and Bobby Jones (13). In addition to his victories at the Masters and U.S. Open this year, Woods won the Bay Hill Invitational, Buick Open, and the American Express Championship.
Despite playing only 18 events, he again topped the PGA Tour money list this year, earning nearly $7 million, bringing his career total past $33 million.
Woods will be making his fourth appearance in the Skins Game. His most recent appearance was last season, when Greg Norman won all 18 skins and $1 million.
Norman is not competing this year because of what tournament organizers said was a "previous commitment." Woods was invited to take his place, and Mickelson received a sponsor exemption. He will be making his Skins Game debut.
Couples, the 1992 Masters winner, will be competing for the ninth time, tying the record held by Jack Nicklaus. He has earned $2.1 million in career skins, and won the event in 1995, '96, and 1999.
O'Meara competed in the Skins Game in 1997, '98, and 1999.
The Skins Game will return to its original format this year, meaning a player no longer has to validate a skin on the following hole by winning or matching the low score to claim the money he won on the previous hole.
Each of the first six holes will be worth $25,000. Holes 7-12 are worth $50,000, and holes 13-17 will each be worth $70,000. The 18th hole will be worth $200,000.
All four players have agreed to donate 20 percent of their winnings to charity.
The Landmark Golf Club is a par-72, 7,068 yard layout.
France, Russia even at Davis Cup
PARIS, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- Paul-Henri Mathieu, who was making his Davis Cup debut for France, played like a veteran in his loss to Marat Safin, and old-timer Yevgeny Kafelnikov played like a rookie in his match against Sebastien Grosjean.
Mathieu, 20, lost 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.
The scores in the Grosjean-Kafelnikov match were 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, 6-0. It was Grosjean's third straight victory over the Russian veteran, and the first since 1998 that a player lost a set
to love in a Davis Cup final.
"I felt the pressure because a 2-2 lead, it's always much more nice rather than 1-1 after the first day," Kafelnikov said. "To beat Grosjean on the home field in front of such a crowd, you have to have big guts to do that. Unfortunately, I was not able to do that. Marat proved again that he's the best player on our team by winning the first point."
After getting the nod from French captain Guy Forget, Mathieu headed into Friday's match full of confidence. He won his first two career titles with consecutive victories at Lyon and Moscow. None of the four men who played their first Davis Cup match in a final have been successful since the format was adopted in 1972.
"(Safin) played better today," Mathieu said. "I didn't play since Lyon (last month). Maybe I was lacking competition, but the difference is very little between the two. If I had won the fourth set, it could have turned around."
Safin had lost all three of his matches in the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai two weeks ago, but showed his brilliant side Friday. Firing 19 aces, he dominated on both first and second serves, and hit 36 winners. Still, the world No. 3 admitted to feeling nervous before the match.
"It's a Davis Cup final, the first match, first point in front of all the crowd that is cheering for France," said the former Australian Open finalist. "It's difficult to play your best. It's not because of physical; it's more mental, I think. It's a Davis Cup, it's the final."
Safin, who won his fifth straight Davis Cup singles match, gained revenge for a loss to Mathieu in the semifinals of the Kremlin Cup last month, their only prior meeting.
Kafelnikov played Grosjean tight until the tiebreaker. While the Frenchman lifted his game, Kafelnikov could not get anything going. He did not hit an ace, and had 43 unforced errors to just 19 winners.
"It was basically one-way traffic," Kafelnikov said. "I wasn't able to keep up with him in the second and third set. First set was very close, but in the second, he ran away from me. I tried to do everything I could to stay in the match, to keep the points longer, to keep the games longer. Unfortunately, I was making too many mistakes."
The 28-year-old Russian has said he will retire if his country wins the Davis Cup. Bothered by pain in his foot since May, he will have surgery to have a varicose vein removed from his leg in Zurich on Monday.
Grosjean had 40 winners, including 13 aces, and 30 unforced errors.
"I tried to concentrate on my own game," Grosjean said. "I knew Kafelnikov was very motivated, but physically he was not at his top level compared to the former years. I tried to concentrate on my game and be aggressive. I served well during the match."
France seeks its second straight Davis Cup triumph and 10th overall, while Russia aims for its first victory after losing finals to Sweden and the United States in 1994 and '95, respectively.
In Saturday's doubles, Safin and Kafelnikov will take on France's Nicolas Escude and Fabrice Santoro. Since 1978, the team that records the doubles victory has won the Davis Cup.
The match was attended by 14,500.
Lewis to fight Vitali Klitschko
HAMBURG, Germany, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- Lennox Lewis, who hinted at retirement after pounding Mike Tyson in July and relinquished his IBF heavyweight belt in September, will get back in the ring to battle Viatli Klistchko in early March.
Lewis (40-2-1, 31 KOs) elected to give up the IBF title rather than take on mandatory challenger Chris Byrd in a bout that he felt would not generate a big enough payday.
Rumors of a possible bout with Klitschko's older brother, Vladimir, also circulated. Vladimir is an up-and-coming star.
The site and date are expected to be determined next week.
At 6-8, Vitali Klitschko is one of the few heavyweights in the world to have a height advantage over the 6-5 Lewis. In his last bout, Vitali Klitschko (32-1, 31 KOs) recorded three knockdowns in the 10th round on the way to a technical knockout of journeyman Larry Donald.
Lewis, 37, handed Tyson the worst beating of his career, recording an eighth-round knockout in June. The Englishman is not short on punching power, but his chin is always suspect.
His losses have come against Oliver McCall and Hasim Rahman, but he avenged both of them, including a dominant fourth-round knockout of Rahman in November 2001.
Byrd will fight former champion Evander Holyfield in December for the IBF strap that Lewis gave up. WBA champion John Ruiz will meet light-heavyweight champion Roy Jones Jr., in February.
Lewis had a draw and a won a decision in a pair of 1999 meetings with Holyfield.
