Sports Highlights: September 28-October 8

The top 12 teams on the NCAA men’s water polo poll will compete this weekend in the Southern California Tournament, hosted by UCSB. Games will take place starting at 8 a.m. Saturday at the Campus Pool and Dos Pueblos High’s Elings Aquatic Center. Each team will play four games over the two days, concluding with the championship match at 5:40 p.m. Sunday at Dos Pueblos.

USC, the four-time defending national champion, is seeded No. 1. The Trojans face St. Francis of New York at 8 a.m. Saturday at Dos Pueblos, while No. 2 UCLA plays Santa Clara at UCSB. No. 3 Stanford takes on Princeton at 10:40 a.m. at the Campus Pool, followed by No. 6 UCSB’s opening game at noon against No. 11 UC San Diego.

The top four teams – USC, UCLA, Stanford and California – account for 38 of 43 NCAA championships, including the last 14. The only other schools to win national titles are UC Irvine (three), UCSB and Pepperdine (one each).

In college soccer, No. 3-ranked UCSB, the only undefeated Division 1 team in the West (6-0-2), opens Big West Conference action on the road at Riverside and Fullerton.

High school football teams swing into their last found of non-league games tonight (Friday, September 28). Bishop Diego puts its 4-0 record on the line against Santa Fe Christian, a San Diego Section power, at SBCC’s La Playa Stadium. San Marcos has a tough home game against undefeated Nordhoff (5-0).

There will be two crosstown rivalry games on October 5 – Bishop Diego at Carpinteria, and Dos Pueblos at San Marcos.

SCHEDULE OF GAMES

Friday, September 28

High school football – Nordhoff at San Marcos, 7 p.m.; Dos Pueblos at San Juan Hills, 7 p.m.; Santa Barbara at Oxnard Pacifica, 7 p.m.; Santa Fe Christian at Bishop Diego, La Playa Stadium, 7:30 p.m.; Fillmore at Carpinteria, 7:30 p.m.

College women’s soccer – UC Davis at UCSB, 7 p.m.

College men’s soccer – UCSB at UC Riverside, 8 p.m.

Saturday, September 29

College men’s water polo – Southern California Tournament at UCSB and Dos Pueblos High, 8 a.m.-6:30 p.m.

High school football (8 man) – Laguna Blanca at Cate, 3 p.m.

College football – SBCC at L.A. Southwest, 6 p.m.

Sunday, September 30

College men’s water polo – Southern California Tournament at UCSB and Dos Pueblos High, 8 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Championship game at Dos Pueblos, 5:40 p.m.

College women’s soccer – Pacific at UCSB, 12 p.m.

College men’s soccer – UCSB at Cal State Fullerton, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, October 1

Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table press luncheon, Harry’s Plaza Café, 12 p.m.

Tuesday, October 2

College men’s soccer – Hope International at Westmont, 3 p.m.

High school girls volleyball – San Marcos at Santa Barbara, 6 p.m.

College women’s volleyball – Vanguard at Westmont, 7 p.m.

College women’s soccer – Oxnard at SBCC, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, October 3

College women’s soccer – Hope International at Westmont, 3:30 p.m.

College women’s volleyball – Pepperdine at UCSB, 7 p.m.

Thursday, October 4

High school boys water polo – Ventura at Dos Pueblos, 3:15 p.m.

High school girls volleyball – Dos Pueblos at Santa Barbara, 6 p.m.; Buena at San Marcos, 6 p.m.

Friday, October 5

High school football – Dos Pueblos at San Marcos, 7 p.m.; Santa Barbara at Buena, 7 p.m.; Bishop Diego at Carpinteria, 7:30 p.m.

College men’s soccer – UC Irvine at UCSB, 7 p.m.; Moorpark at SBCC, 7 p.m.

College women’s volleyball – Cal State Northridge at UCSB, 7 p.m.

Saturday, October 6

High school boys water polo – Servite at Dos Pueblos, 12 p.m.

College men’s soccer – Biola at Westmont, 12 p.m.

High school football (8 man) – Orcutt Academy at Cate, 2 p.m.

College women’s soccer – Biola at Westmont, 2:30 p.m.

College women’s volleyball – Hawaii at UCSB, 7 p.m.; Hope International at Westmont, 7 p.m.

Sunday, October 7

College men’s water polo – Iona at UCSB, 9 a.m.; Harvard at UCSB, 12 p.m.

College men’s soccer – Cal State Northridge at UCSB, 5 p.m.

Monday, October 8

Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table press luncheon, Harry’s Plaza Café, 12 p.m.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Monday, October 8 – Links and a Legend: Basketball Hall of Fame Coach C. Vivian Stringer at a luncheon, golf tournament and dinner to benefit UCSB women’s basketball, Montecito Country Club, 10 a.m. ucsbgauchos.com.

RUNNING, WALKING, CYCLING

Sunday, September 30 – Carpinteria Triathlon (1.5K swim/40K bike/10K run or 0.5K swim/15K bike/5K run) Carpinteria State Beach, 7:30 a.m. carpinteriatriathlon.com.

Saturday, October 6 – Solvang Mile, Copenhagen Drive, 7 a.m. active.com.

Pacific Pride Foundation 10K AIDS Walk, Leadbetter Beach, 9 a.m. pacificpridefoundation.org.

Sunday, October 7 – Carpinteria Kiwanis Big Avocado 5K Run, Carpinteria Bluffs, 8 a.m. active.com.

Saturday, October 13 – Fall 5-Mile Cross Country Classic and Kids’ Mile, Lake Los Carneros, 8 a.m. foxfallxc.com.

Sunday, October 14 – Cancer Center 10K Run and 5K Walk/Run, Montecito Union School, 8 a.m. ccsb.org.

Saturday, October 20 – Santa Barbara Century bicycle ride, Leadbetter Beach, 7 a.m. For experienced riders: 100 miles, 100K, and 34-mile Foothill Course. santabarbaracentury.org.

Saturday, November 10 – Select Staffing Santa Barbara International Marathon, Dos Pueblos High School to SBCC, 7:15 a.m. Half Marathon, Page Youth Center to SBCC, 7:45 a.m. sbimarathon.com.

Saturday, November 17 – American Diabetes Association Tour de Cure bicycle rides (8, 37 and 67 miles), Leadbetter Beach, 8 a.m. diabetes.org.

Sunday, November 25 – Red Rock Marathon and 50-Mile Trail Run, Rancho Oso Guest Ranch, 6 a.m. allwedoisrun.com.