Notre Dame on top, awaits Bama or Georgia
MCLEAN, Va., Nov. 26 (UPI) -- Notre Dame, the only post-season-eligible college undefeated football team, is just short of being a unanimous No. 1 in the USA Today Coaches' football poll.
The Fighting Irish (12-0) completed a perfect regular season with a 22-13 win at Southern California and appear a lock to be selected for the BCS Championship game Jan. 7 in Miami.
Ohio State is also 12-0 but on NCAA probation and ineligible for post-season consideration.
Notre Dame's championship-game opponent will likely be No. 2 Alabama (11-1) or No. 3 Georgia (11-1), who play this week in the Southeastern Conference championship game.
Notre Dame picked up 56 of the 59 first-place votes with two going to Alabama and one to Georgia. That is the same distribution as a week ago.
Oregon (11-1) remains in fourth, locked out of the Pac-12 Championship and, likely, the BCS final. Florida (11-1) and Louisiana State (11-1) both improve one spot to fifth and sixth, respectively, giving the SEC four of the first six teams in the rankings.
Kansas State (10-1) is up one place to seventh while Texas A&M (10-2) is eighth, followed by No. 9 Stanford (10-2) and 10th-ranked South Carolina (10-2). Texas A&M and South Carolina give the SEC six of the Top 10.
Oklahoma (9-2) takes the No. 11 ranking while Florida State (10-2), after a loss to Florida, drops five places to 12th. Nebraska (10-2) comes in 13th ahead of No. 14 Clemson (10-2), which was ninth last week. Boise State (9-2) was idle but jumps seven rungs to 15th.
UCLA (9-3) and Oregon State (8-3) remain 16th and 17th, respectively, but Northern Illinois (11-1) goes from 23rd to No. 18 and Mid-American rival Kent State (11-1) moves up six places to 19th. Northwestern (9-3) re-enters the poll at No. 20.
Texas (8-3) slips from 15th to No. 21 and Utah State (10-2), which didn't receive as much as one vote until Oct. 29, is placed 22nd. Louisville (9-2) drops from 18th to No. 23 Michigan (8-4) comes in 24th and Rutgers (9-2) is 25th.
Giants World Series shares $377,002.64
NEW YORK, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- The San Francisco Giants will get $377,002.64 for each full share of post-season payouts for winning the World Series, baseball officials said Monday.
The money paid for a full share in 2012 passes the record of about $362,000 collected by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2006.
The Giants were given about $23.5 million of the players' pool and allotted 50 full shares, 11 partial shares and 12 additional cash awards.
The Detroit Tigers, who lost to the Giants in the World Series, split about $15.7 million, with a full share worth $284,264.50. The Tigers paid out 48 full shares, seven partial shares and seven individual cash awards.
The 2012 players' pool -- more than $65.3 million -- represented 50 percent of gate receipts from Wild Card games; 60 percent of gate receipts for the first three games of Division Series; 60 percent of gate receipts from the first four games of the League Championship Series; and 60 percent of gate receipts from the first four World Series games.
St. Louis and the New York Yankees, losers in the championship series, were both given $7.8 million while divisional series losers Baltimore, Cincinnati, Oakland and Washington each received $2.1 million. Atlanta and Texas, which lost Wild Card games, were given $980,452.32.
Louisville's Dieng out indefinitely
LOUISVILLE, Ky., Nov. 26 (UPI) -- Louisville center Gorgui Dieng, who broke his left wrist in a game, is out of the lineup indefinitely, the school said.
The Cardinals were in the Bahamas taking part in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament when Dieng was injured.
Dieng, a junior who averages 8.2 points and eight rebounds per game, took a charge from Missouri's Phil Pressey with 2:04 to go in a semifinal game Friday and landed hard on his left hand.
X-rays showed a broken scaphoid bone, The (Louisvills, Ky.) Courier-Journal reoirted Sunday.
With Dieng out, Louisville will rely on sophomore Zach Price and senior Stephan Van Treese in the middle.
Embree fired as U. of Colorado coach
BOULDER, Colo., Nov. 26 (UPI) -- University of Colorado football Coach Jon Embree was fired after his team's 1-11 season, the school announced.
Embree said he was surprised by the Sunday announcement.
The former Buffaloes star said Athletic Director Mike Bohn told him as recently as last week he would return for a third season.
"I had a funny feeling this morning," Embree said Sunday. "Something told me he'd do this."
Embree's two-year record as Colorado coach was 4-21. He succeeded Dan Hawkins, who had a five-year record of consecutive losing seasons -- meaning Colorado has not had a winning season in seven years.
The 11 losses in 2012 are a school record.
The defense gave up an average of 46 points per game.
Colorado finished last in Pac-12 pass-efficiency defense, rushing defense, total defense, passing efficiency and total offense categories, the Denver Post reported Monday, noting the Buffaloes were outscored in their seven conference games by an average of 50-15.
It was the first Colorado team to go winless at home since 1920.
