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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016
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Gary Henley | Sports Reporter
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SPORTS
IN BRIEF
RIVALRY WEEK
NHL expansion
team gets a
name: Vegas
Golden Knights
Associated Press
LAS VEGAS — The NHL’s
newest team is named the Vegas
Golden Knights.
Owner Bill Foley and NHL
Commissioner Gary Bettman
announced the Las Vegas expan-
sion franchise’s offi cial name and
revealed its logo and colors Tues-
day night at a gala ceremony for
about 5,000 fans outside T-Mobile
Arena, where the Golden Knights
will begin play next season.
The Golden Knights’ logo is
a simple front view of a fi ghting
helmet with a conspicuous “V” in
the middle. Their colors are steel
grey, gold, red and black.
“Our logo and our name is
really going to exhibit the high-
est element of the warrior class —
the knight,” Foley told the crowd.
“The knight protects the unpro-
tected. The knight defends the
realm. The knight never gives up,
never gives in, always advances,
never retreats. And that is what
our team is going to be.”
The NHL awarded its 31st
franchise in June to this gam-
bling mecca in the Mojave Des-
ert. Foley is a billionaire business-
man who sold the league on the
potential of being the fi rst major
pro sports franchise in the grow-
ing market while playing in a new
$375 million arena already con-
structed on the south end of the
Strip.
The franchise made its name
announcement near an outdoor
rink where young hockey play-
ers braved the 58-degree night-
time temperatures in Vegas’ des-
ert basin. The ceremony endured
technical diffi culties when a
video presentation refused to run,
prompting Foley and Bettman to
kill time.
Bettman grinningly encour-
aged the fans to boo him, say-
ing it’s a true indication that Las
Vegas is a real NHL city.
“Believe me, we won’t screw up
the fi rst game like we screwed up
the video,” Foley said with a laugh.
Seattle releases
veteran OL
J’Marcus Webb
Associated Press
RENTON, Wash. — The Seat-
tle Seahawks have released vet-
eran offensive lineman J’Marcus
Webb after he was bypassed by
younger players as options along
Seattle’s offensive line.
Seattle announced the move on
Tuesday. The Seahawks cut loose
one of their biggest offseason
acquisitions in free agency after
it became clear he didn’t have a
future with Seattle.
Webb started the fi rst three
games of the season at right guard
when rookie Germain Ifedi was
injured. Webb has played spar-
ingly since and was inactive for
the fi rst time last Sunday against
Philadelphia. Rookie Rees Odhi-
ambo was the backup option at
guard and tackle for the Seahawks
and played briefl y at left tackle
against the Eagles when George
Fant left with an injured shoulder.
Webb signed a two-year deal
worth up to $5.75 million with
Seattle in the offseason.
Cowboys keep
No. 1 spot in AP
Associated Press
NEW YORK — Dak Prescott
and the surging Dallas Cowboys
keep on rolling.
The Cowboys have won a fran-
chise regular-season record nine
games in a row and host the rival
Redskins on Thanksgiving Day in
a key NFC East matchup.
The Cowboys also remained
in the No. 1 spot in the latest AP
Pro32 poll , which was released
Tuesday.
Dallas received 11 fi rst-place
votes for 383 points from ballot-
ing by media members who regu-
larly cover the NFL.
AP Photo/George Frey
Oregon fans celebrate a last second game winning touchdown against Utah Saturday in Salt Lake City. Oregon defeated Utah 30-28.
Title game berths on line in Pac-12
This year: The game is crucial to the Hus-
kies (10-1 overall) to preserve a shot at the
College Football Playoff. Washington is cur-
rently No. 6 in both the CFP rankings and the
Top 25 .
By ANNE M. PETERSON
AP Sports Writer
T
wo down, four to go.
Stanford and USC have secured vic-
tories in rivalry games this season, but
there are four left in the Pac-12 with
both berths in the league championship game
still on the line.
Colorado controls its own destiny when it
hosts Utah on Saturday. With a win, the Buf-
faloes claim the Pac-12 South Division out-
right. If Colorado loses, it drops into a tie in
the standings with USC, and the Trojans, who
have fi nished conference play, will win the
South because they beat the Buffaloes 21-17
back on Oct. 8.
The showdown between Washington and
Washington in the Apple Cup on Friday night
will decide the Pac-12 North. Both teams are
7-1 in conference play.
The league title game is set for Friday,
Dec. 2, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara,
California.
Stanford won the Big Game against rival
Cal 45-31 last weekend and now fi nishes the
regular season at home against Rice, while the
Golden Bears host UCLA. The Trojans, who
beat the rival Bruins 36-14 at the Rose Bowl,
host longtime non-conference rival Notre
Dame on Saturday.
A look at the conference rivalry games this
weekend in the Pac-12:
OREGON-OREGON STATE
Series began: 1894.
Series record: Oregon leads 63-46-10.
Trophy: Called the Civil War, the game’s
unoffi cial prize is the Platypus Trophy,
awarded each year to the alumni association
of the winning team. Lore has it that the platy-
pus was chosen because it has a duck bill and
a beaver tail, so it represents the mascots of
both schools.
Why it’s a big deal: The winner will
avoid fi nishing in the Pac-12 North basement.
Three teams — Oregon, Oregon State and Cal
— are currently 2-6 in league play with one
game to go.
Best game: The Ducks entered the 1994
Civil War tied with USC for the Pac-10 cham-
pionship and needed a win to clinch their fi rst
ARIZONA STATE-ARIZONA
AP Photo/Ted S. Warren
Washington quarterback Jake Browning
(3) passes to wide receiver Chico Mc-
Clatcher, left, Saturday in Seattle. Wash-
ington beat Arizona State 44-18.
Rose Bowl berth since 1957. Trailing 13-10,
Danny O’Neil drove the team 70 yards, hitting
Dino Philyaw for a 19-yard touchdown with
3:47 to play, giving Oregon a 17-13 victory.
This year: The Ducks have just four wins
this season, but they’re coming off a 30-28
upset of No. 11 Utah. The chances are slim,
but with a fi fth victory Oregon could be con-
sidered for a bowl bid if there are not enough
six-win teams to fi ll all the games.
WASHINGTON-WASHINGTON STATE
Series began: 1900.
Series record: Washington leads 70-32-6.
Trophy: Apple Cup.
Why it’s a big deal: The game is for the
Pac-12 North title, which has been claimed
by either Sanford or Oregon since the league
expanded and a conference championship
game was created in 2011.
Best game: The most memorable game in
recent years came in 2012. Washington State
trailed 28-10 in the fourth quarter but Cou-
gars quarterback Jeff Tuel led his team to a
pair of touchdown drives. After Andrew Fur-
ney’s fi eld goal tied it, Washington’s Travis
Coons missed a 35-yard FG attempt and sent
the game to overtime. Furney’s fi eld goal gave
Washington State a 31-28 victory in the biggest
comeback in Apple Cup history and gave Mike
Leach the rivalry win in his fi rst season with
the Cougars. Of course, the 2002 triple-over-
time marathon in Pullman is high on the list:
The Huskies upset the No. 3 Cougars 29-26.
Series began: 1899.
Series record: Arizona leads 48-40-1.
Trophy: Territorial Cup, which is rec-
ognized by the NCAA as the oldest rivalry
trophy.
Why it’s a big deal: It’s at Arizona Sta-
dium, which is key because the home team
has won in each of the past three seasons and
the Wildcats are still looking for their fi rst
conference win. Arizona and Rutgers are the
only two teams in the Power Five conference
that are winless in their leagues.
Best game: Arizona was ranked No. 12
and Arizona State was No. 8 in 1975 when the
two teams met with the Fiesta Bowl in reach.
Arizona State receiver John Jefferson made
an amazing catch to narrow Arizona’s lead to
14-10. While the lead changed hands in the
second half, Sun Devils quarterback Den-
nis Sproul’s 1-yard keeper was the go-ahead
touchdown that sent undefeated ASU on to a
victory over Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl.
This year: At 5-6 overall, Arizona State
needs one more win to become bowl eligible.
The Sun Devils have made the postseason
for the last fi ve straight years. Arizona hasn’t
gone winless in conference play since 1957.
UTAH-COLORADO
Series began: 1903.
Series record: Colorado leads 31-28-3.
Trophy: It’s been called the Rumble in
the Rockies, but there’s no offi cial trophy.
The rivalry was dormant for several decades
before it was revived when both teams joined
the Pac-12 in 2011.
Why it’s a big deal: Utah’s true rivalry
game is the Holy War against BYU. Colorado
has the Rocky Mountain Showdown against
Colorado State.
Best game: In 1961, the Utes were just 5-3
heading into the game against No. 8 Colorado
in Boulder. Utah scored three unanswered
touchdowns and held off the Orange Bowl-
bound Buffaloes 21-12.
UP NEXT: CIVIL WAR • Oregon Ducks (4-7) at Oregon State Beavers (3-8) • Saturday, 1 p.m. TV: PAC12
Women’s hoops explores changes to NCAA tourney
BY DOUG FEINBERG
AP Basketball Writer
NEW YORK — College wom-
en’s basketball is exploring ways to
change the format of the NCAA Tour-
nament, including moving the Final
Four back a week to avoid overlap
with the end of the men’s tournament.
In a survey given to the confer-
ences and obtained by The Associ-
ated Press, the women’s basketball
oversight committee laid out a few
potential changes that wouldn’t take
place until 2019 at the earliest. The
date change would put the women’s
Final Four on the same weekend as
the Masters.
The committee is asking the
schools and conferences for feedback
on several alterations, including hav-
ing the opening round at 32 sites and
having the second round and region-
als played at the same location. Mov-
ing the Final Four would add a bye
week to the tournament schedule.
“The survey has a variety of impli-
cations,” NCAA vice president for
women’s basketball Anucha Browne
said in a phone interview Tuesday.
“It’s an opportunity to see if the cur-
rent format is where we should stay or
look into doing something different.
We want to talk to the practitioners on
campus — the senior women’s asso-
ciates, the coaches, we hope there is
some feedback from the student ath-
letes. Student athlete input is pretty
important.”
The surveys are due on Dec. 2, and
oversight committee chair Jean Lenti
Ponsetto, who is the athletic director
at DePaul, said that it would take a
while to digest the information.
“For sure it’s going to take us a
couple meetings to work through all
the details without having a good idea
what the results are going to look
like,” she said.
Browne and Ponsetto both stressed
that it would be nearly impossible
for anything to change in the imme-
diate future because regional sites
and Final Four locations are already
locked in through 2018, including
with a new Friday-Sunday setup for
the Final Four beginning in 2017.
“I think there seems to be a perspec-
tive in membership that we need to do
something in women’s basketball. The
Avoiding a bye
AP Photo/Sean Rayford
South Carolina forward A’ja Wil-
son shoots between St. Peter’s
Sajanna Bethea, right, and Talah
Hughes Tuesday in Columbia,
S.C. South Carolina won 93-38.
championship isn’t broken and wom-
en’s basketball is in a good place,”
Browne said. “We want to deliver
a strong crowd and going to a Fri-
day-Sunday format this year will be an
opportunity to see how that plays out.”
Shifting the entire tournament
back to avoid a bye week wasn’t
discussed on the survey. That’s not
a proposition that coaches would
enjoy.
“I like playing the following
weekend,” Louisville coach Jeff
Walz said of the current format. “At
the same time, I see what we’re try-
ing to do. What’s best for women’s
basketball for attendance? That’s
my only issue with that move. It’s a
big break. That would be the biggest
break in the entire season, including
Christmas. We don’t have a break
that long at any time when the sea-
son starts up. It would be something
completely different.”
Expanding to 32 teams hosting
in the fi rst round would potentially
help expand the women’s basketball
fan base by allowing more schools to
have tournament games on campus.
“If you’re right on that bubble
line, that’s a great opportunity to
host games,” Metro Atlantic Ath-
letic Conference commissioner Rich
Ensor said. “That’s a good way of
growing the game.”