Soon-to-be-Sir Andy Murray appears to be on his way to a coronation in London -- or, at the very least, knighthood.He has won 20 consecutive matches, has snatched the No. 1 ranking from Novak Djokovic and is bidding to run away and hide at these Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.Still, history -- and this is a sprawling city with more than most -- suggests there could be some drama in the offing. For instance, Murray has qualified for this year-end event nine times but has never won it. And consider that Wednesdays round-robin opponent, Kei Nishikori, poses a serious threat. Two of their three matches this year went the maximum five sets, with Nishikori taking the most recent, in the quarterfinals of the US Open.This match can be seen on ESPN3 at 9 a.m. ET.?The 26-year-old from Japan, who could conceivably finish the year at a career-high No. 3, wrecked US Open champion Stan Wawrinka 6-2, 6-3 in the first round-robin match, which clearly caught Murrays attention.I didnt see the match, but he obviously must have played very well, Murray said in his news conference after defeating Marin Cilic by a similar count. To win against a player like Stan with that score line; I dont think Stan had really any chances on Keis serve, either.I would say this is probably his best year that hes had on the tour. Hes one of the best players in the world. Hes been playing very well the last few months especially.This, of course, Murray knows firsthand. He also understands that the winner will be 2-0 in round-robin play and in a commanding position to advance to Saturdays semifinals.Murray won the first two meetings earlier this year, prevailing in a five-setter in Davis Cup play and, more recently, at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, winning a semifinal tilt more comfortably, 6-1, 6-4.I had a tough loss in Rio, Nishikori admitted. But US Open and Davis Cup, we played some good matches. I feel more chance to win the match against Andy. Yeah, for sure I have to play well and play 100 percent to beat Andy. This [Wawrinka] match will help, for sure, for next match.Before the Olympics, Nishikori also beat Wawrinka in the semifinals at Toronto, ending a run of 0-for-16 against top-five opponents. They ran into each other again in the US Open semifinals, with eventual champion Wawrinka getting the better of him.The London loss, though, puts Wawrinka in a difficult spot when he faces Cilic in the evening match (3 p.m. ET on WatchESPN). Theyre both 0-1, and the loser is in deep, deep trouble.I was expecting a good match, Wawrinka said of his meeting with Nishikori. Didnt happen today. Not the first time that I lose the first match here. Last year, I lost against Rafa, really bad match.Im sure I still have something inside me to play some great tennis before the end of the year, so Im going to try everything for that in the next match.While Wawrinka will finish the year as the top-ranked Swiss player for the first time, you have to feel for him. In three previous appearances in London, he was 6-6 -- with two losses each against Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. With the latter two sitting this one out and Djokovic in the other group, Wawrinka seemed to have a reasonable path to reach the semifinals.Cilic, meanwhile, needs to quickly ramp up his game. The 28-year-old from Croatia immediately forced two break points in his first match against Murray but lost the opening game -- and his subsequent serve.Obviously [its] tougher to start straightaway with matches like these against the best guys. Im not so used to it, Cilic said afterward. Thats something I guess quite new for me. Most of the tournaments Im playing them third, fourth round at least.Cilic is 0-4 in year-end play after going 0-3 in his 2014 debut. Both he and Wawrinka are US Open champions, but one of them could be looking at the end of his season. Ultra Boost 4.0 Triple White For Sale . It might not have mattered. While the Dodgers are preparing for the playoffs, the Padres showed their future has promise behind two rookies. Adidas Alphabounce Beyond Mens . Coach Tom Thibodeau says the former MVP will probably start travelling with the team in the next few weeks. 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No. 23 Washington State is playing its best ball in years, winning seven straight games and coming off a blowout of Arizona.Cal is coming off a blowout, too, except it was on the receiving end.The Cougars and Bears are seemingly headed in opposite directions, but Saturdays matchup will feature similar Air Raid-style passing attacks that could provide an entertaining nightcap to the days college football action, kicking off at 10:30 p.m. ET.Cal, with its Bear Raid attack, is second nationally, behind Texas Tech, with 463 pass attempts (51.4 per game). Washington State is third at 455.Mike does what Mike is going to do, and he does it well, said Cal coach Sonny Dykes, a former assistant to WSU coach Mike Leach at Texas Tech. And hes done it well for a long time. Hes always moved the ball, hes always scored points.The Cougars (7-2, 6-0 Pac-12) have won their first six conference games for the first time since 2002, which is also the last time they won seven consecutive games overall. They beat visiting Arizona 69-7 on Saturday.Even when we were 0-2, we didnt lose any self-belief in ourselves, wide receiver Gabe Marks said at a press conference Monday. We lost belief in you guys because you guys lost belief in us. ... We all knew that we were going to be good. Its just that a lot of people jumped off the wagon real quick, which is OK. (We were) 0-2; fans will be fans.Cal (4-5, 2-4) has lost three of its past four games, including a 66-27 loss to Washington on Saturday night, when it allowed 704 total yards.The Bears defense is reeling, ranking last nationally in rushing defense (286.7 yards per game), second-to-last in points allowed (44.4 per game) and 125th out of 128 teams in total defense (527.9 yards per game).Washington State, on the other hand, has been more stout than usual on defense, especially up front. The Cougars are 21st nationally in rushing defense, yielding 118.8 yards per game. Defensive end Nnamdi Oguayo recorded three sacks last week, and free safety Shalom Luani picked off his fourth pass of the season.Theyre playing with a lot of confidence on both sides of the ball, Dykes said of Washington State.dddddddddddd Much-improved defensively. They are playing aggressive and theyre really trying to force the action.Washington State quarterback Luke Falk threw for 311 yards in three quarters against Arizona last week, at one point completing 22 consecutive passes. The Cougars were 47 of 52 passing against the Wildcats.Falk is No. 2 in the nation with 359.7 passing yards per game. His two top receivers -- seniors Marks and River Cracraft -- are in the top five in the conference in receptions per game and receiving yards per game. Marks has 10 touchdown receptions.Cal will counter with quarterback Davis Webb, who is third nationally with 352.9 passing yards per game. Wide receiver Chad Hansen, the most prolific receiver in the country early this season, is back from an ankle injury and seems to be regaining his form.Hansen delivered five catches for 70 yards and a touchdown against Washington; he is up to 64 catches for 840 yards and nine scores this season.Two years ago, the matchup of Bear Raid vs. Air Raid produced an FBS-record 1,261 passing yards in Cals 60-59 victory. The game was decided when Washington State missed a chip-shot field goal as time expired.Last season was dramatic too, as Cal rallied from 14 down to win 34-28, the victory preserved by a late interception of Falk at the Bears 10-yard line.Whenever us and Cal get together, its always going to be a hell of a deal, Marks said. Its a heavyweight showdown.Cal is 0-4 on the road this season, although three of those losses have come by 10 points or less.Washington States true heavyweight showdown might not come until the Apple Cup against rival Washington to end the regular season. Those teams enter this week as the only undefeated squads in Pac-12 play.With a nod to the kickoff time, Leach said the Pac-12 doesnt get the respect it deserves.I think were the best conference this year, he said. I think were still battling time-zone issues to some degree. ' ' '