23 Colorado and No. 25 Virginia Tech moved back into the rankings for a second time this season.OUT- Houston tumbled out of the rankings for the first time this season after getting routed

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Bruised and battered but still wearing a gold medal, the first Russian champion in Rio de Janeiro seemed to mirror his countrys standing at the Olympics.Despite eye and hand injuries that might have ruled out a lesser rival, Beslan Mudranov upset the reigning world champion in his judo final. The victory showed that Russia is set to remain a serious contender for medals in Rio, even though it lost some of its top athletes to a widespread doping scandal.For us, this medal means a lot because people were putting a lot of psychological pressure on us, Mudranov said. A gold medal like this will really please our country.Russia will field no weightlifters and only one track and field athlete among the 278 athletes it has sent to Brazil, shutting down two of the main medal producers for the sports superpower. But it has been extremely successful in minimizing the damage elsewhere and escaping a blanket ban, with a mixture of a savvy public relations campaign and old-fashioned backroom lobbying.On the world stage, Russian prestige hasnt fared so well lately. The legacy of its Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014 has been tarnished by the doping scandal, and on Sunday, it was kicked out of the Rio Paralympics over evidence of systematic drug cheating.The July 18 report by World Anti-Doping Agency investigator Richard McLaren alleging a state-run doping cover-up across dozens of summer and winter Olympic sports had little effect on the Russian team. Its track and weightlifting athletes were likely to be excluded before the report came out because of other doping scandals, making up most of the 109 athletes who are missing in Rio from its original 387-member delegation.Russia is still likely to dominate in those events where it has been traditionally strong: gymnastics, synchronized swimming and wrestling.The country first staved off the threat of a blanket ban from the International Olympic Committee, then fought the imposition of further restrictions on its team from the sports federations which implement the IOC rules.One hastily imposed IOC rule was overturned, allowing several athletes caught in doping tests back on the Russian team, while even some implicated in the McLaren report as having benefited from a cover-up were reinstated.Yulia Efimova, the 100-meter breaststroke world champion, was initially banned with six other Russian swimmers who either had positive tests or were implicated in the scandal. Now, all are expected to be added to the start lists in Rio. Efimova, who received a smattering of boos after her name was announced as the winner of her heat Sunday, described the last six months as crazy and said she didnt understand whats going on.An IOC rule excluding Russians who have not faced regular drug testing was ignored by all sports, except for rowing, where Russia was reduced to fielding only one boat -- although it was never a serious contender for medals there.Russias lobbying power in the federations probably helped in judo, where President Vladimir Putin is the honorary head of the international federation, and fencing, where Putins billionaire ally Alisher Usmanov runs the sports world governing body.The most powerful man in the Olympics -- IOC President Thomas Bach -- has business and personal links to Russia. A former fencer, his sport has been boosted by Usmanovs financial support. Russia also has sustained minimal damage in events like swimming, where it also holds some influence.Meanwhile, an international public relations campaign spread Russias soft power worldwide and undermined McLarens report. The U.S. firm Burson-Marsteller distributed a speech by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev urging the IOC to keep Russia in the games. Embassies in the U.S. and Canada pressed for an exemption for Russias top track and field star, Yelena Isinbayeva, although none has been granted for the pole vaulter.Russia also has sought to present McLarens report as flawed and overly reliant on the testimony of former Moscow anti-doping lab chief Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov, who now lives in the U.S., and admitted to covering up doping samples on what he said were orders from the Russian Sports Ministry. Rodchenkov had faced accusations in Russia of supplying banned substances in 2012, a case that was closed in unclear circumstances, and faces a criminal case in Russia over the destruction of samples.Reacting to the McLaren report last month, Putin said the officials who were implicated would be suspended for a further investigation -- although not Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko.The Russian leader also made clear what he thought of the reports conclusions, calling Rodchenkov a man with a scandalous reputation.Can conclusions be trustworthy and compelling if they are exclusively based on the evidence of people like this? Putin asked.In recent weeks, however, evidence has emerged to back up some of Rodchenkovs allegations.Nine Russian weightlifters have been confirmed for failing retests of samples from the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. All tested positive for oral turinabol, a steroid that was widely used by the former East Germany and a substance that Rodchenkov said he had given athletes in a cocktail along with alcohol.This is a strong indication that they were part of a centrally dictated program, the Court of Arbitration for Sport said in upholding the Olympic ban on the Russian weightlifters.Russia got a boost when an IOC meeting before the Olympics saw senior officials take turns blasting WADA for what many saw as exceeding its mandate.Mutko was jubilant, telling the Russian state news agency Tass that Im very pleased that the IOC session supported what we insisted upon, adding that WADA needs to be reformed.Even with evidence of the mass manipulation of tests, Mutko said, WADA should not have dared to accuse Russia of state-sponsored doping. If you want to prove that there is some kind of manipulation going on in some laboratory, then you shouldnt accuse a country, he added.Despite being battered by the turbulence, Russia remains strong on the Olympic stage.The opening gold medal by Mudranov probably pleased Putin, who is often described as the worlds most famous judo fan and is so passionate about the sport that he recorded a DVD to help train athletes.---AP National Writer Paul Newberry contributed to this story.Cristian Bonilla Jersey . Klitschkos management company says the bout will be the Ukrainian fighters 25th world championship fight. The 1.83-meter (6-foot) Leapai defeated the previously unbeaten Denis Boytsov in November to become the WBOs mandatory challenger. Carlos Bacca Colombia Jersey . Scott Kazmir allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer in a three-run first inning and the Indians maintained their hold on an AL wild-card spot with a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday night. http://www.nationalcolombiafootball.com/fredy-guarin-colombia-jersey/ . A statement from the worlds top-ranked player says all checks "were satisfactory and showed positive evolution" regarding the injury, which contributed to his loss to Stanislas Wawrinka in the final in Melbourne. Carlos Sanchez Moreno Colombia Jersey . LeBron James and Chris Bosh didnt need any more. Williams scored 11 points in 10 minutes, Alan Anderson scored 17 points, and the Brooklyn Nets finished the exhibition season with a 108-87 win over the Miami Heat on Friday night. Stefan Medina Jersey .com) - Following a late-game loss to the reigning NBA champs, the Toronto Raptors will look to sustain their recent high-level play as they travel to Indiana to take on the Pacers.Ohio State dropped four spots to No. 6 in The Associated Press college football poll after its first loss of the season, and Penn State moved into the rankings for the first time since 2011 after upsetting the Buckeyes.Alabama is No. 1 again, receiving all but one of the 61 first-place votes from the media panel on Sunday. Michigan moved up to No. 2, Clemson is No. 3 and Washington No. 4.Louisville moved up to No. 5 ahead of the Buckeyes, who blew a 14-point fourth-quarter lead and lost 24-21 against Penn State on Saturday night. The Nittany Lions entered the rankings at No. 24.Nebraska is No. 7 and Baylor is eighth. Texas A&M slipped three spots to No. 9 after losing for the first time this season.---POLL POINTSUP- West Virginia (6-0) moved up two spots to No. 10 in the rankings, the Mountaineers best showing since 2012. Those Mountaineers with Geno Smith and Tavon Austin were undone by a faulty defense and ended up finishing the season unranked after peaking at No. 5 in early October. These Mountaineers have the second-best defense in the Big 12 and rank 32nd in the nation in yards per play at 5.14.- No. 15 Auburn moved up six spots after the second-most lopsided SEC victory in the history of the program. The Tigers beat Arkansas 56-3 and have won four straight since a 1-2 start.- No. 19 LSU moved up six spots after trouncing Mississippi.- Washington matched its best ranking since finishing No. 3 in 2000.DOWN- Ohio State had the biggest drop of the week, but it still ran its streak of top-10 rankings to 31, the longest current streak in the nation, dating baack to November 2014.ddddddddddddIN- Penn State was last ranked Dec. 4, 2011. It had gone four full seasons without being ranked, the longest string of seasons without a ranking since the Nittany Lions made their first poll appearance in 1940. The Nittany Lions also are ranked without Joe Paterno as coach for the first time since 1954.- No. 23 Colorado and No. 25 Virginia Tech moved back into the rankings for a second time this season.OUT- Houston tumbled out of the rankings for the first time this season after getting routed by SMU. The fall from No. 15 to unranked is tied for the fifth-largest drop since the rankings went to a Top 25 in 1989.- Mississippi, which was the first 3-3 team since 2009 to be ranked last week, is out for the first time this season after dropping to 3-4 with a loss to LSU.- Arkansas, which started the season unranked, is out again.CONFERENCE CALLSEC -- 6Big Ten -- 5ACC -- 5Pac-12 -- 3Big 12 -- 3American -- 1MAC -- 1Mountain West -- 1RANKED vs. RANKEDNo. 3 Clemson at No. 12 Florida State. The toughest game left on the Tigers schedule.No. 4 Washington at No. 17 Utah. Maybe the first of two meetings for the leaders of the Pac-12 North (Huskies) and South (Utes).No. 7 Nebraska at No. 11 Wisconsin. The Huskers can lose and still hold on to the Big Ten West lead, but then they go to Ohio State.---Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP---Online:More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '