UConn is ticketed for Meineke Bowl

The University of Connecticut accepted a bid to play in the Meineke Bowl Dec. 29 against an Atlantic Coast Conference team. The Huskies (9-3) were selected over Cincinnati as the Big East's representative for the game, which will be played at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. The ACC team is not expected to be named until after Saturday's conference championship game. Wake Forest and Maryland are the leading contenders . . . Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan is among the five finalists for this year's Walter Camp Football Foundation Player of the Year award. Ryan is joined by quarterbacks Dennis Dixon of Oregon, Chase Daniel of Missouri, and Tim Tebow of Florida, and running back Darren McFadden of Arkansas. The winner will be announced Dec. 6 . . . University of New Hampshire quarterback Ricky Santos of Bellingham was named the Colonial Athletic Association Co-Offensive Player of the Year, sharing the honor with Delaware QB Joe Flacco. UMass placed a league-best seven players on the All-CAA first team, including wide receiver J.J. Moore. Northeastern running back Maurice Murray also made the first team . . . Ole Miss will introduce Houston Nutt as its new coach today, ending a whirlwind hiring that began when Nutt resigned at Arkansas Monday and agreed to become the Rebels' coach hours later . . . Sonny Lubick is out as Colorado State coach after 15 seasons and hasn't decided whether to accept the school's offer to stay on as associate athletic director . . . South Florida accepted a bid to the Sun Bowl, the Bulls' third consecutive postseason appearance.

BC coach Al Skinner announced that guard Reggie Jackson of Colorado Springs, guard Dallas Elmore of Fort Collins, Colo., and forward Evan Ravenel of Brandon, Fla., have signed national letters-of-intent to play for the Eagles next season . . . Arizona coach Lute Olson, on a leave of absence for personal reasons since Nov. 4, will return for some practices, but not for games just yet. Olson watched his first practice Monday night after three weeks away from the program he has coached for 25 years . . . Two people said Texas Tech coach Bob Knight or his hunting companion hit them with birdshot on two occasions last month. Neither person was injured or required medical treatment, and no charges were filed against Knight . . . Indiana freshman guard Jordan Crawford, averaging 12.6 points, has been suspended three games for violating team rules . . . Bentley, off to a 4-0 start and unbeaten in its last 31 regular-season games, took over the No. 1 spot in the Division 2 men's rankings . . . More than 700 tickets are available for the Hartford Hall of Fame Showcase at TD Banknorth Garden Saturday. Gonzaga plays UConn at 3:30 p.m., followed by Providence-BC at 6. Tickets are available at the Garden box office or on ticketmaster.com.

Doctors examining Indians reliever Juan Lara found that he had a spinal fracture plus severe brain trauma from a weekend car accident in the Dominican Republic. "Juan's condition is very fragile. In the last medical report we found that he has a severe brain trauma, and we also found a fracture in the spinal column, with the D2 [second vertebra] in an unstable condition," hospital spokeswoman Dashira Martinez said . . . Catcher Jason Kendall and the Brewers finalized a $4.25 million, one-year contract that includes incentives. The sides reached a preliminary agreement last week . . . Former Rockies pitcher Dan Serafini was suspended 50 games for failing a test for a performance-enhancing drug.

World Cup overall champion Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway crashed during downhill training at Beaver Creek, Colo., and was hospitalized with broken bones in his face and a deep cut on his buttocks. Svindal was kept in the hospital overnight and won't ski in any races this weekend. Svindal broke his nose in two places, broke a cheekbone and sustained a 6-inch laceration on his left buttocks muscle . . . A San Francisco yacht club won its court case against America's Cup champion Alinghi, giving its sailing crew the right to race the Swiss in a head-to-head series for the oldest trophy in international sports in July if the sides can't agree to a traditional regatta. New York State Supreme Court Judge Herman J. Cahn ruled that the Golden Gate Yacht Club, which backs BMW Oracle Racing, is the Challenger of Record, meaning it can help negotiate the rules for the next regatta . . . The soccer stadium in Salvador, Brazil, where seven people died after the stands collapsed Sunday will be destroyed and a new one will be built in its place . . . The NHL is considering a dozen European cities as potential hosts for regular-season games but may not send players to the 2014 Olympics in Russia, commissioner Gary Bettman said . . . World 400-meter champion Christine Ohuruogu won her appeal against a lifetime Olympic ban for missing three doping tests and was cleared to compete in next year's Beijing Olympics . . . Bill Hartack, a Hall of Fame jockey and five-time Kentucky Derby winner, died from heart disease Monday night in Freer, Texas, while on a hunting vacation. He was 74. (Obituary, B5) . . . Dr. J. Robert Cade, who invented the sports drink Gatorade in 1965 at the University of Florida, died yesterday of kidney failure in Jacksonville, Fla. He was 80.