Sports digest: Stanford women's soccer is consensus No. 1

The Stanford women's soccer team is now the consensus No. 1 team in the country, after moving up in the NSCAA coaches' poll Tuesday and receiving all 32 first-place votes. Stanford's 6-2 victory over No. 11 Santa Clara on Thursday, combined with No. 1 North Carolina's 1-0 loss to Virginia Tech on Sunday, led to the boost in the rankings. Stanford now holds the No. 1 spot in all four rankings: the NSCAA, Soccer America, Soccer Times and Top Drawer Soccer. Sports News
FC Gold Pride's Nicole Barnhart and Rachel Buehler, both Stanford graduates, have been named to the 18-player U.S. team that faces Germany on Oct. 29. in a match of the world's top two women's soccer teams. St. Louis' Lori Chalupny was named captain and Washington's Abby Wambach and Boston's Amy Rodriguez are the U.S. forwards. Online Sports
NFL
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the league is watching as authorities investigate allegations that Oakland Raiders coach Tom Cable assaulted one of his assistants. "When the appropriate time comes, we will speak to the coach," Goodell said during an NFL Play 60 event in New Jersey.
Conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh said Tuesday he is teaming up with St. Louis Blues owner Dave Checketts in a bid to buy the Rams.
The Pittsburgh Steelers' star safety Troy Polamalu is expected to practice on a limited basis today for the first time since tearing the medial collateral ligament in his
left knee Sept. 10 against Tennessee. Polamalu must show the Steelers' medical staff that he can stop and start and change directions with a brace before he plays again, but he has not been ruled out of Sunday's game at Detroit.
Brett Favre and the Minnesota Viking's matchup with his former team has attracted the largest cable television audience ever, drawing more than 21.8 million people.
College football
Florida quarterback Tim Tebow has returned to practice on a limited basis, though he still has not been cleared to play in Saturday's game against No. 4 LSU.
Tennis
U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro was knocked out in the first round of the Japan Open, losing 6-4, 6-4 to French qualifier Edouard Roger-Vasselin.