College Football
The College Football Playoff officially replaces the BCS
IRVING, Texas – The BCS standings are out; the College Football Playoff selection committee Top 25 is in.
Starting on Oct. 28, the 13-member panel given the task of picking the schools for the new four-team playoff will release weekly rankings.
Voting for the newest college football poll will be done using the same procedure and recusal policy used by the committee that chooses the 68-team field for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. The voting will be broken down into tiers, with the panel first grouping teams and then coming to a consensus on how they should be ordered with numerous votes.
A committee member who currently is compensated or employed by a school, or who has an immediate family member at a school, will not be allowed to vote for that school.
The committee, which includes five current athletic directors, will meet in person for a day every week, and their rankings will be released Tuesday nights on ESPN.
Cycling
Albasini wins back-to-back at Tour of Romandie
MONTREUX, Switzerland – Michael Albasini of Switzerland won a second consecutive sprint finish to lead the Tour of Romandie on Thursday.
Albasini took more than four hours to finish the 103.5-mile third stage in rain-swept Montreux. The Orica-Green Edge rider edged Tony Hurel of France and third-place Giacomo Nizzolo of Italy, who had the same time.
A 10-second time bonus lifted Albasini above Michal Kwiatkowski of Poland into a five-second overall lead.
NHL
Tortorella one and done with the Vancouver Canucks
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – The Vancouver Canucks fired John Tortorella on Thursday, one year into the fiery head coach’s long-term deal.
Tortorella, who signed a five-year contract last summer after being dismissed by the New York Rangers, went 36-35-11 and failed to reach the playoffs behind the Vancouver bench. Assistant coach Mike Sullivan also was fired.
Crosby, Getzlaf and Giroux finalists for the Hart Trophy
NEW YORK – Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby, Anaheim’s Ryan Getzlaf and Philadelphia’s Claude Giroux are finalists for the Hart Memorial Trophy.
The NHL announced the finalists Thursday for the trophy, which essentially serves as the league’s MVP award. The Professional Hockey Writers’ Association submits ballots.
The winner will be announced June 24.
Crosby scored 36 goals and led the league in assists (68) and points (104), guiding the Penguins to their second consecutive division title.
Getzlaf scored a career-high 31 goals and ranked second in the league with 87 points, leading the Ducks to the top record in the Western Conference for the first time in franchise history.
Giroux matched a career high with 28 goals and finished third in the NHL scoring race (86 points), helping the Flyers rally from a 3-9-0 start.
Soccer
USA will host the centennial Copa America in 2016
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – The United States will host a special 16-nation edition of the Copa America in 2016, marking the soccer tournament’s centennial.
The tournament will take place June 3-26, overlapping the European Championship, which will be played in France from June 10 to July 10. In addition, qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup are scheduled from May 30 to June 7.
Copa America organizers have asked FIFA to put the event on the international calendar, which would mean clubs would have to release players to national teams. A decision by FIFA is not expected before September.
Mexicao and the U.S. will be among the six teams representing CONCACAF.
Associated Press
