20 most important games

•	1. Texas vs. OU at Dallas (10/17)

•	2. USC at Ohio St. (9/12)

•	3a. Florida at LSU (10/10)

•	3b. 'Bama at Mississippi (10/10)

•	5. Texas at Oklahoma St. (10/31)

•	6. Tennessee at Florida (9/19)

•	7. USC at Oregon (10/31)

•	8. Oklahoma St. at OU (11/28)

•	9. LSU at Mississippi (11/21)

•	10. USC at Notre Dame (10/17)

•	11. 'Bama vs. VT at Atlanta (9/5)

•	12. USC at California (10/3)

•	13. Oklahoma at Miami (10/3)

•	14. Oregon at Boise St. (9/5)

•	15. Ohio State at Penn St. (11/7)

•	16. Va. Tech at Georgia Tech (10/17)

•	17. Georgia at Oklahoma St. (9/5)

•	18. Georgia vs. Florida at Jacksonville, Fla. (10/31)

•	19. Florida St. at BYU (9/19)

•	20. Notre Dame at Michigan (9/12)

You’ve heard the mantra countless times and you're sick of it: Every game matters in college football. We won’t go that far, but we will say that almost every Saturday produces a game that either further focuses or distorts the national title game picture. The playbook is filled with both straight-ahead rushes (Alabama’s 12-0 breakaway run that took them all the way to the SEC championship game) and misdirection plays (Oklahoma’s loss to Texas, which elevated the Longhorns to No. 1, only to have the Sooners play for the national title). And it’s often when we most believe that we have clarity (Penn State wins at Ohio State) that we don’t (Penn State loses at Iowa). So, it may be a little early (a lot early) to forsooth which games next autumn will have the greatest impact as to determine the two teams who’ll meet in Pasadena in the BCS Championship Game. But it is still fun. Here then, are our 20 games most likely to play a role in achieving that outcome.

Olympic champ sets London Marathon record

updated 11:54 a.m. ET April 26, 2009

LONDON - Olympic champion Sammy Wanjiru won his first London Marathon title in a course record on Sunday, and Irina Mikitenko defended her title in the women’s race.

Wanjiru won in 2 hours, 5 minutes, 10 seconds, finishing ahead of the same two men who made the Olympic podium in Beijing. This time, however, Beijing Games bronze medalist Tsegay Kebede of Ethiopia was second and Jaouad Gharib of Morocco was third.

Wanjiru had been on course at the halfway point to break the world record of 2:03:59 Haile Gebrselassie set last year in Berlin.

“The condition of the weather was very fine and my body was fine, but the pacemaker was going too slowly. He said he was tired,” the 22-year-old Kenyan said. “I think they should get a good pacemaker from the starting point to 35K.

“But I got good experience and maybe next time if we can get a good pacemaker, I can set a world record.”

Wanjiru used a series of surges to hold off Kebede, who finished the 26.2-mile race 10 seconds behind in a personal best of 2:05:20. Gharib was third in 2:05:27.

“Around 42K I felt that I had to keep running as hard and as fast as I could because I wanted to win,” Kebede said. “There were some very good runners here and to beat them is a good feeling.”

Defending champion Martin Lel pulled out of the race on Saturday due to a hip injury.

In the women’s race, the 36-year-old Mikitenko broke away from the field to win in 2:22.11.

In the final six miles, the German runner surged ahead of Mara Yamauchi of Britain, who finished 1:01 behind. Liliya Shobukhova was third in 2:24:24, one of four Russians in the top 10.

“I was always confident that I had it in my legs as everything in myself felt good, and after 19 miles I saw no reason why I shouldn’t win,” Mikitenko said. “From a physical point of view it felt a tougher race this year than last, but I when I got away I always felt strong.

“I’ve won in Berlin and London again. If I can run like this for the next couple of years I will be happy.”

The Japan-based Yamauchi ran a personal best of 2:23:12.

Olympic champion Constantina Dita of Romania slipped off the pace and pulled out after the halfway mark with breathing difficulties. Beijing Games silver medalist Catherine Ndereba was seventh, and bronze medalist Zhou Chunxiu, the 2007 London champion, finished 12th.

Man United beats Arsenal 1-0 in Champions League

Associated Press Sports

updated 5:39 p.m. ET April 29, 2009

MANCHESTER, England (AP) -John O'Shea gave Manchester United a 1-0 victory over Arsenal on Wednesday in the first leg of the Champions League semifinals, but the defending champion missed plenty of chances to win by a bigger margin.

The fullback scored in the 18th minute after Arsenal failed to clear a corner. United outplayed Arsenal for long spells and had chances of a far bigger victory, but was foiled by three good first-half saves by Manuel Almunia.

The Red Devils look certain to go to next week's second leg without center back Rio Ferdinand, who has a suspected broken rib after a late scramble in front of the United goal.

"He's gone to hospital and we will wait for the outcome of that,'' said United manager Alex Ferguson. "It doesn't look good at the moment.''

The two teams meet again at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium next Tuesday. The winner will advance to the May 27 final in Rome to face either Barcelona or Chelsea, who drew 0-0 in Tuesday's first leg in Spain.

"We had chances and their goalkeeper made two or three fantastic saves,'' Ferguson said. "The more pleasing aspect is that, before the game I said (to the players) 'Try and win the game without conceding a goal.' We've done that.

"Our forward play was very good and that's given us a good chance.''

Arsenal was without injured forward Robin van Persie and Russian star Andry Arshavin, who is not eligible to line up for the Gunners in the Champions League having played for Zenit St. Petersburg earlier in this season's competition. The result was that Arsene Wenger's men rarely created chances at Old Trafford but are fortunate they only have to make up a one-goal deficit at home.

Wenger believes that his team will play far better in the second leg.

"If you look at the clear-cut chances, they were on top,'' the Arsenal manager said. "The positive is that we are only 1-0 down that we take home, and I am convinced that you will see a different Arsenal team at the Emirates. I believe that we have a good chance to reverse the result.

"I believe that the tie is very open. (United) can have regrets because they didn't score a second goal. It's down to us to make sure they regret they didn't score a second goal.''

United's pressure brought some early chances followed by a goal.

Wayne Rooney's looping header in the second minute was finger-tipped away by Almunia, and a well-worked move ended with O'Shea's cross to Carlos Tevez, whose close-range shot was well saved by the Gunners keeper.

From the corner, Michael Carrick beat a defender on the left and his cross deflected off Alex Song to the unmarked O'Shea, who drove the ball into the roof of the net.

After the 0-0 draw between Barcelona and Chelsea, that makes fullback O'Shea, who has scored 13 other goals for United, the only player to score in the semifinals so far although he said United should have had more.

"Possibly with the chances we had. Their 'keeper has made a couple of great saves,'' the Irish international said. "On our first half display we could have been a couple more goals up.

Injured NASCAR fan released from hospital

updated 7:26 p.m. ET April 29, 2009

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - A teenager who was injured during Talladega’s NASCAR race has been released from the hospital.

A UAB Hospital spokeswoman said that Lauderdale County High School senior Blake Bobbitt was discharged on Wednesday. Bobbitt had reconstructive surgery to repair a broken jaw.

She was one of seven fans injured by flying debris at Sunday’s Aaron’s 499 race when Carl Edwards’ car sailed into the safety fence on the final lap.

Bobbitt’s mother said she had her lower jaw reconstructed. Blake was in the second row of the grandstands with her father when the wreck occurred.

She is from Rogersville in the northwest corner of Alabama.

Nuggets break playoff funk, eliminate Hornets

DENVER - With a little help from the hometown kid, Carmelo Anthony is finally moving on.

Behind Anthony’s 34 points and the floor leadership of Chauncey Billups, the Denver native who came home this season and galvanized a city and a team, the Nuggets advanced to the second round of the NBA playoffs, 107-86 over the New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday night.

After five straight first-round flameouts, ’Melo led the Nuggets to their first playoff series win since 1994. They’ll face the Dallas Mavericks in the second round.

“That monkey is awful heavy sometimes,” Nuggets coach George Karl said. “I’m just really happy for ’Melo.”

Monkey?

“It took me five years to get that gorilla off my back,” said Anthony, drafted third overall by the Nuggets in 2003 after leading Syracuse to the national title in his only college season. “And it’s a great feeling. I’m just going to soak this time up, this moment.”

Dallas advanced to the Western Conference semifinals by defeating San Antonio in five games. Denver swept the season series with the Mavericks 4-0.

“I think they’re as good as any team in the West,” Hornets coach Byron Scott said of the Nuggets. “I think the Lakers are probably the best team in the Western Conference. That would be a great matchup.”

Anthony’s 34 points were a career playoff best. Billups had 13 points and 11 assists, and J.R. Smith scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half to fuel Denver, which needed just five games to go from traditional first-round fodder to a playoff success story.

“I thought we could be a good team,” Karl said. “But I never thought we could be this good.”

Billups, who led the Pistons to six straight Eastern Conference finals before joining the Nuggets in the Allen Iverson trade in November, flashed his famous smile after the buzzer.

“It feels good. It feels great actually, especially me being a hometown kid and kind of from afar following the struggles that they’ve had the last five years in the first round,” Billups said. “It’s crazy, that monkey is big on everybody’s shoulders around here. It’s good to get that off, even though I haven’t lost in the first round in a long time.