SPORTS BRIEFS: Ohio State remains on top in college football poll

Ohio State stays No. 1 in Top 25 poll

Ohio State remained No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 and tied a poll record Sunday despite lagging support from voters.

Meanwhile, No. 2 TCU and No. 3 Baylor edged forward, No. 4 Michigan State slipped and No. 5 Utah and No. 6 Clemson took big jumps.

No. 11 Florida made the biggest leap forward, jumping 14 spots after crushing No. 14 Ole Miss.

After four top-10 teams lost Saturday, the rankings were rattled and five teams received first-place votes. The Buckeyes received 38 first-place votes, their fewest this season after beginning as the first unanimous preseason No. 1. TCU has five first-place votes, Baylor received 10, Utah has seven and No. 9 Texas A&M has one.

No. 8 Alabama, Texas A&M and No. 10 Oklahoma each gained five spots after impressive victories.

Four teams dropped at least nine spots: Ole Miss, No. 15 Notre Dame, No. 19 Georgia and No. 20 UCLA.

Ohio State was the only team in the top 16 to have the same ranking this week as last.

The Buckeyes held off Indiana 34-27 on Saturday and have now been top-ranked 101 times, matching Oklahoma for the most in the 79-year history of the media poll.

No. 22 Iowa is ranked for the first time since November 2010, No. 24 Toledo is ranked for the first time since November 2012 and No. 25 Boise State is back after falling out last month.

Mississippi State, Wisconsin and West Virginia dropped out of the rankings after losses.

Farrell to return as Red Sox manager in 2016

John Farrell, who has been battling Stage 1 Lymphoma, will return as manager of the Boston Red Sox in 2016.

Red Sox president of baseball operations David Dombrowski made the announcement Sunday about the coaching staff and the 53-year-old Farrell, who has been on medical leave since Aug. 14 after being diagnosed. Farrell completed chemotherapy treatments in Boston this past week, and still has more tests in the coming weeks.

Torey Lovullo, who has been the interim manager during Farrell’s absence, also will return. Lovullo, 50, signed a two-year extension through 2017 to return to his regular role as bench coach.

The Red Sox said Lovullo, who had a 28-19 record as the interim manager, waived the right to pursue any major league managerial opportunities in the 2015-16 season.

Farrell guided the Red Sox to the 2013 World Series title and has a 246-243 record in his three seasons. The Red Sox signed Farrell to a two-year extension in February through the 2017 season, and the team holds an option for the 2018 season.

Third base coach Brian Butterfield, hitting coach Chili Davis, assistant hitting coach Victor Rodriguez and pitching coach Carl Willis will all be retained by the Red Sox. Dana LeVangie, who moved into the role of interim bench coach in August, also will be retained and move back to his role as bullpen coach.

The contracts of first base coach Arnie Beyeler and strength and conditioning coach Pat Sandora have not been renewed, the team announced.

Interim bullpen coach Bob Kipper will return to his duties as pitching coach for Triple-A Pawtucket next season.

Thompson passes on Cavs’ qualifying offer

Cleveland Cavaliers free agent forward/center Tristan Thompson passed on the team’s one-year, $6.8 million qualifying offer.

Thompson did not sign the qualifying offer by the 11:59 p.m. ET deadline Thursday, according to reports.

The Cavs have made different offers over the summer, going as high as $16 million in an average annual salary, according to ESPN. Thompson wants a three-year, $53 million max contract or a five-year deal for $94 million.

Thompson remains a restricted free agent, and negotiations between his representative, Rich Paul, and the Cavs will now continue. He has missed the start of training camp this week.

The 24-year-old Thompson averaged 8.5 points and 8.0 rebounds during the 2014-15 regular season when he was the Cavs’ sixth man. After Kevin Love was injured in the first round of the playoffs, Thompson started at power forward. In the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors, he averaged 11.6 points and 12.6 rebounds.

Cavs star LeBron James was asked about Thompson’s situation at the team’s media day on Monday.

“As the leader of this team, I understand how important Tristan is to this team,” James said. “I think we all saw what he’s able to do in the postseason, and not only the postseason but all throughout. … He’s a huge piece to the puzzle, to our success. Not having him here today, possibly tomorrow or however long it is, that the organization and Tristan, they’ll get something done. We all know how important he is to our success.”