COLLEGE FOOTBALLAUSTIN, Texas -- Texas says nothing has been decided on football coach Charlie Strong.Longhorns athletic director Mike Perrin, in the face of swirling reports that school officials had decided to fire Strong at the end of a third bad season, dismissed them as rumors and said the coach would be evaluated after playing TCU on Friday.Perrin, who has been publicly supportive of Strong all season, didnt say Strong would return.There are a number of rumors out there about the status of Coach Strong. Ive said it all along, we will evaluate the body of work after the regular season. We have a game to get ready for against TCU on Friday, and I hope our fans will come out and support our team. Well discuss where things stand after that, Perrin said.That sets up an awkward Monday for Strong when he addresses reporters on the Big 12 coaches conference call, and then later at his weekly campus news conference, which is televised by the Longhorn Network.UNDATED -- The Big Ten placed three teams in the top five of The Associated Press college football poll for the first time in 56 years, setting up a No. 2 vs. No. 3 matchup for Ohio State and Michigan.Alabama was a unanimous No. 1 in the poll released Sunday. The Buckeyes were No. 2 and Wolverines No. 3. They meet in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday in a game with Big Ten and national championship implications.Clemson is No. 4, and No. 5 Wisconsin gives the Big Ten three of the first five for the first time since Nov. 7, 1960, when Minnesota was No. 1, Ohio State was No. 3 and Iowa was No. 5.Louisville dropped eight spots to No. 11 after getting trounced by Houston, which jumped in at No. 18.AUTO RACINGHOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Jimmie Johnson tied Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt with a record seven NASCAR championships when the hard-luck breaks of racing turned Sundays title-deciding finale into his crowning moment.Johnson probably had the worst car of the four championship contenders at Homestead-Miami Speedway, but a strange sequence of events opened the track for him to take the title over Carl Edwards, Joey Logano and defending champion Kyle Busch.Edwards was in position to win until a caution with 10 laps remaining set up a wild sequence that ruined his title hopes. Edwards tried to block Logano on the restart, wound up wrecked, and it was Johnson who drove through the wreckage to take the championship lead.Johnson had to withstand two more restarts, including one in overtime, to score his first career victory at Homestead in the most monumental race of his career.PRO FOOTBALLNFL kickers missed like never before Sunday, setting a record with 12 failed extra point attempts.Kickers missed left and right, had kicks blocked and hit the uprights. Kickers missed in the wind and indoors. With several games left, kickers already had the most misses in one week since the NFL merger.The NFL moved extra-point attempts back before last season because the kicks had become routine, and professionals almost never missed. The 18-yard attempt became a 35-yarder. In Week 13 of last season, kickers missed eight. That mark was eclipsed by mid-afternoon Sunday.OLYMPICSGLASGOW, Scotland -- Russian sport is a long way from convincing the world that it has cleaned up its act, the World Anti-Doping Agency declared Sunday, pointing to the states failure to accept it was behind a doping program, its continued obstruction of testing, and a series of cyberattacks.Russia is seeking readmission to WADA a year after being declared non-compliant with the doping code, following the publication of a report detailing widespread cheating in track and field.Fresh evidence of state-backed doping cover-ups was revealed by investigators ahead of the Rio de Janeiro Games, although WADAs recommendation of a blanket ban on Russias Olympic team was rejected by the IOC.Russias integrity is set to be challenged again when Canadian law professor Richard McLarens final doping report is published on Dec. 9, with the focus on winter sports.WADA also said Sunday that a gene doping test will be used shortly by accredited laboratories. 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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Defensive end Chris Long and his New England teammates know enough about the Pittsburgh offense to realize the Steelers can be potent even without Ben Roethisberger.One of the best, maybe the best wide receiver corps in the league, best 1-2 punch at running back in the league, good tight ends, best offensive line in the league, up there, ... a ton of weapons, Long said Thursday, as the Patriots prepared for Sundays visit to Pittsburgh. Really good offense.The running back pair of LeVeon Bell and DeAngelo Williams and the wide receiver group led by Antonio Brown will be without Roethlisberger, who underwent arthroscopic left knee surgery after getting hurt in last weeks loss at Miami.Landry Jones will be the starter for first-place Pittsburgh.Weve watched a lot of their offense, said Long, a free agent signing who has gotten off to a strong start with his new team.I feel like we know these guys pretty well. That having been said, it doesnt make it any easier. From top to bottom its a really good unit.Bell has run for 263 yards (12 fewer than Williams) but has also caught 20 passes out of the backfield for 177 yards. He is still, however, looking for his first touchdown of the season (Brown has five, Williams three).In short, Bell is tough for any defense to handle, with or without his quarterback.You can just turn on the film and see where hes at, New England linebacker Donta Hightower said. The guy plays running back, he plays receiver, they line him up everywhere, they motion him.Hes not a one-trick pony. He has an extended route tree. They do a good job of being able to get him the ball whether its screens, out of the backfield or passes. Weve have to do a good job of just knowing where hes at all times.How impressed is New England coach Bill Belichick with Bell?Oh my God. Oh yeah, tremendous player, Belichick said Wednesday. Great hands, catch the ball, very quick, makes people miss. Strong, breaks tackles, exxcellent balance, tough, doesnt run out of bounds, fights for extra yardage.dddddddddddd Great player.Said Long: Its impressive. Hes really a prolific receiver out of the backfield, so we have to do good job on him in that regard, too. It kind of makes it double the challenge.Hightower sacked Andy Dalton for a safety, had another shared sack and was in on 13 tackles in New Englands win over Cincinnati last Sunday -- earning him AFC defensive player of the week honors.He was the first Patriots linebacker since Mike Vrabel, in 2007, to win the award. His performance helped turn around an afternoon that wasnt going well for New England -- the Patriots winning to go to 5-1 and they head to Heinz Field.Very tough at home. They do play really well at home, Long said. Theyve got great fans that make it a wild atmosphere up there, so it should be a tough challenge.Game notes Patriots players were not commenting on the $75,000 fine -- and no suspension -- levied against Cincinnatis Vontaze Burfict for his low hit on Martellus Bennett last Sunday. Thats last week. Thats the rules. Im worried about Pittsburgh, wide receiver Julian Edelman said. Im not getting caught in that one. Asked if the rule is a bad one, he said, Im not here to talk about rules, Im here to play football. Said tight end Rob Gronkowski: Its all up to the league. Ive got really no say in anything. ... Gronkowski on playing at Heinz Field: The atmosphere is just football atmosphere. Youve got great high school football ther