Cuts » Vere kept their star-studded attack scoreless for the f

After a wild Saturday filled with big upsets, the ripple effect in the College Football Playoff continued Thursday night, when No. 5 Louisville was thoroughly outplayed by Houston in a 36-10 loss, sending reverberations throughout the selection committees entire Top 25.The ACC took a direct hit, as No. 4 Clemson now stands as its lone CFP contender, but that was just the start.It impacted the Big Ten, which solidified its position as the conference with the best chance to get two teams into the top four.It impacted the Big 12, which takes another breath of hope each time there is an upset in the top 10.It impacted the Pac-12, where one-loss Washington no longer has to worry about passing the eye test against a Louisville team that was ranked ahead of the Huskies before suffering its second loss of the season.It impacted the Group of 5, as Houston should now be ranked after beating two top-10 teams (Oklahoma and Louisville) but is still unlikely to win its division, let alone the American Conference.Thats whats so fascinating about this playoff system. Rarely is a loss by a contender confined to the box score of those two teams. The immediate and most obvious repercussion from Thursday night, of course, is that Louisvilles playoff hopes are likely over. The Cardinals didnt look anywhere near a top-four team, and couldnt overcome their fourth slow start of the season. Louisville was fortunate to beat Duke, Virginia and Wake Forest in spite of pedestrian performances, but in this case, Houston was simply the better team.So all eyes turn to Clemson, where the pressure to win out is immense -- not just on the road against an improved Wake Forest team, but also against rival South Carolina.If Clemson wins at Wake Forest on Saturday, the Tigers will clinch the ACCs Atlantic Division. If they dont, Louisville will win the division and play in the ACC title game -- against a Coastal Division opponent that probably will be unranked.In that scenario, the committee could possibly be comparing the résumés of two-loss conference champions from three leagues: the Big Ten (Penn State or Wisconsin), the ACC (Louisville) and the Big 12 (Oklahoma). The best-case scenario for the ACC would be for Clemson to beat Wake Forest and South Carolina, then win the conference title, leaving no doubt its a top-four conference champion.One thing we know for sure: Clemson and Louisville arent getting in now.The Big Ten is the only conference with any legitimate hope of two playoff teams, but thats assuming that Ohio State wins out but doesnt win its division. Fans have to remember that winning a conference title is one of the tiebreakers the committee uses to rank teams with comparable résumés. If it comes down to Ohio State or Penn State, and the Nittany Lions win the Big Ten title, the Buckeyes would have two strikes against them in the committees protocol.Assuming Alabama, Clemson and the Big Ten champion are all in the final top four, the Buckeyes would then be compared with the Pac-12 champ and Big 12 champ, and theyd probably need some help to unseat one of them (unless Wisconsin wins the Big Ten and the committee values Ohio States head-to-head win above the Badgers league title, which would be an entirely different debate).The one thing Ohio State doesnt have to worry about?Louisville.The same can be said for the Pac-12, whose top contender, No. 6 Washington, dropped behind Louisville in the latest ranking after the Huskies lost to USC. Washingtons strength of schedule has been called into question by the committee, and its loss to USC opened the door to debate whether a one-loss Louisville team could trump a one-loss Pac-12 champion with the worst nonconference schedule in the country.Not anymore.Now Washington should be the committees top bubble team at No. 5, barring any upsets in Week 12.That means the Big 12 still needs all the help it can get for No. 9 Oklahoma or No. 14 West Virginia to finish in the top four, but Houstons win had a direct impact on Oklahomas résumé because the Sooners lost to Houston in the season opener. It would help the Sooners résumé if the selection committee ranked Houston because then their only two losses of the season would be to CFP Top 25 teams (Houston and Ohio State).Houston should be ranked this week after beating two of the committees top 10 teams (No. 9 OU and No. 5 Louisville), but it needs Navy to lose its final two regular-season conference games -- at East Carolina and at SMU -- just to win its division. Its an unlikely scenario, as ESPNs Football Power Index gives the Midshipmen at least a 60 percent chance to win each game. Plus, Houston would have to overcome Boise State and undefeated Western Michigan, teams that could both still win their respective leagues.Remember, its the highest-ranked Group of 5 conference champion that earns a New Years Six bowl bid, not just the highest-ranked team.Houston is a different team when its healthy, especially on defense. Louisville had three turnovers and 15 penalties on a night when it had the committees attention.We blew it, Louisville coach Bobby Petrino said.And everyone else in the Top 25 noticed. Cheap Air Max 95 China .875,000, avoiding arbitration. Clippards deal Monday means all eight Nationals players who filed for arbitration wound up settling before a hearing. Air Max 1 Usa For Sale . -- Anaheim Ducks captain and leading scorer Ryan Getzlaf has been scratched from Sunday nights game against the Vancouver Canucks because of an upper-body injury. http://www.airmaxsneakersonsale.com/cheap-air-max-90.html . To the surprise of many, it isnt the Wolverines but their in-state rivals the Michigan State Spartans. Cheap Air Max 90 Mens . Fernandez, coached in Toronto by former two-time Olympic silver medallist Brian Orser, scored 267.11 points and is the first champion to successfully defend since Russias Evgeny Plushenko in 2005 and 2006. Cheap Air Max 1 Mens . "Were just throwing s--- at the wall hoping something sticks," said Tortorella about the possible line combinations for Fridays game against Columbus. The Canucks have lost five straight games and six of their last seven, leaving them in a logjam in the Pacific Division, currently sitting fifth - good for ninth in the Western Conference. Sydney FC are two games from matching the best start to an A-League season by any team after stretching their lead atop the table to five points.While their unblemished defensive record is no more, the Sky Blues undefeated streak is still intact after a thrilling 2-1 come-from-behind win over arch-enemies Melbourne Victory on Saturday.Veteran David Carney - a key figure in Sydneys title triumph in the A-Leagues inaugural season - came off the bench to score both goals in the second half.The visitors were left aggrieved Carneys winner was allowed despite the ball making clear contact with his arm as it fell to him but it has left Graham Arnolds men in an enviable position ahead of what will likely be a closely-fought campaign.They need just two more wins to equal Victorys record of seven in a row to open the 2006-07 season and three to carve some history of their own.However, their next two opponents - Perth Glory (home) and Brisbane Roar (away) - are emerging as bona fide title contenders.The Roar surged to second on the ladder after a comfortable 1-0 win over Melbourne City on Friday, emphatically underlining their credentials as one of the teams to beat with a mature tactical performance.Brisbane coach John Aloisis surprise switch-up to a counter-attacking stylee caught City on the hop and a stoic effort led by Thomas Kristensen and Luke DeVere kept their star-studded attack scoreless for the first time this season.ddddddddddddOf course, we want the ball at home every time but the way we played, its also important we have that in the locker, midfielder Kristensen said of the Roars pragmatic approach to the game.Sometimes you have to be a little bit clever.They next face Adelaide United at Coopers Stadium on Friday night but with in-form striker Jamie Maclaren away on international duty with the Socceroos in Thailand, theyll need to find a new man up front.The Glory moved to fourth after an enthralling 2-2 draw with an improved Western Sydney on Sunday, although they could have risen higher had they taken one of their late chances to win.Third-placed City, meanwhile, can play themselves back into form at home on Thursday against injury-hit Newcastle, who became Wellingtons first victim of the season after losing 2-0 at Westpac Stadium.Champions Adelaide are the only winless team left in the competition, slumping to the bottom of the ladder after a 2-1 defeat at home to Central Coast on Sunday. 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