gling side, the last of them the vital second from corse178's blog
Hold on a minute. Wholesale Jerseys USA .No. 4 Clemson hasnt even won its own division yet. No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Michigan still havent played. And No. 22 Washington State might have something to say about the Pac-12 North title.With three weeks remaining, theres still plenty of time for teams to impress the 12 members of the College Football Playoff selection committee -- or to trip up in epic fashion, the way we saw last weekend when three of the top four teams lost.Week 12 is another piece of the puzzle, as there are still bubble teams such as No. 14 West Virginia that need a statement win to move up in the rankings. The good news? The Mountaineers will get that opportunity Saturday.Heres a look at who can still impress down the stretch, starting this week:Dont count them out yetNo. 9 Oklahoma?(8-2): The two-loss Sooners are the Big 12s highest-ranked team and can clinch the title outright this weekend with a win at West Virginia and an Oklahoma State loss. OU is two wins away from finishing undefeated in conference play but has yet to beat an opponent ranked in the top 25. That could change Saturday with a win over 14th-ranked Mountaineers in Morgantown. Committee chair Kirby Hocutt recently referenced the Sooners tremendous offense, so OU is clearly passing the committees unspoken eye test at the moment. Theyve continued to bounce back from two early-season losses, Hocutt said Tuesday. Theyre on a seven-game winning streak. The committee believes that Oklahoma is deserving of that 9 spot, and still looking at West Virginia to get a quality win. OU, meanwhile, has the toughest remaining schedule among top-10 teams, according to FPI.No. 10 Colorado?(8-2): The Buffaloes remain the favorite to win the Pac-12 South, and theyve got plenty left on their schedule to earn them a spot in the final top four, starting Saturday against a Washington State team that has won eight straight games. According to ESPNs FPI, Colorado has the toughest schedule in its division. Not only can the Buffs boost their playoff résumé with a win against the Cougars, they also finish the season against No. 12 Utah, and would then likely have a shot at a top-10 opponent in Washington in the Pac-12 championship game. Colorado might be the most legitimate dark horse remaining.No. 11 Oklahoma State?(8-2): Ah, yes, that pesky L next to the Central Michigan game. The two-loss Cowboys are just that in the eyes of the committee: a two-loss team. We treat it as a loss, Hocutt said of the CMU game, which ended in controversial fashion. The question is whether Oklahoma State can overcome it with a Big 12 title. If the Cowboys finish with back-to-back road wins at TCU and Oklahoma, they could be back in the conversation. The win over a ranked West Virginia team is important, and the nonconference win over Pitt looks even better now.No. 14 West Virginia?(8-1): WVU is the committees lowest-ranked one-loss Power 5 team. Hocutt has said in each of the past two weeks that WVUs schedule is holding it back, but Mountaineers fans have taken exception to that, pointing out that No. 9 Oklahoma doesnt have any wins over any top-25 teams, either. The Mountaineers have played only one team ranked in the top 25 (No. 11 Oklahoma State) and they lost, and as Hocutt remarked, the quality win is not there yet for West Virginia. That could change Saturday with a home win over the two-loss Sooners. This is the only remaining ranked opponent for WVU, so it needs to take advantage of it. Its also the only game left that ESPNs FPI doesnt favor the Mountaineers in, giving them a 45.7 percent chance to win.Group of 5: One of the most surprising storylines of the committees third ranking was that one-loss No. 20 Boise State jumped undefeated No. 21 Western Michigan, and thats in large part due to the fact that Boise State has a win over a top-25 team in Washington State. Boise still needs Wyoming to lose again, though, to have a chance at winning its division in the Mountain West. ESPNs FPI gives Boise State a 46 percent chance to win the Mountain West, second behind San Diego State, which has clinched the West Division. Western Michigan has a 70 percent chance to win out, according to FPI.Dont lose focusCollege football reminded us ever so bluntly last weekend that no game is a gimme. Fool us once, shame on you. Fool us twice? Youre out of the top four. Heres a look at the rest of the contenders who cant get caught looking ahead to Rivalry Week:No. 2 Ohio State: The Buckeyes travel to Michigan State on Saturday and are clinging to playoff hopes in spite of their high ranking. Not only can they not afford to lose, they need Penn State to lose again to win the East.No. 3 Michigan: The Wolverines host a pesky Indiana team and could be without starting quarterback?Wilton Speight. This will be the committees first chance to see if Michigan still looks like a top-four team without him.No. 4 Clemson:?If Clemson wins at Wake Forest on Saturday, it will clinch the ACCs Atlantic Division. If it loses, Louisville will win the division. The Tigers playoff hopes are on the line in Winston-Salem.No. 6 Washington: The Huskies should be able to rebound from last weeks disappointing loss to USC with a home win against Arizona State. Theres only one game more important than the Apple Cup right now -- this one.No. 7 Wisconsin:?The Badgers travel to Purdue, and they can clinch the West Division with a win and losses by Nebraska and Minnesota. Dont count a two-loss Big Ten champ out.No. 8 Penn State:?The Nittany Lions should have no trouble against a Rutgers team that is winless in the Big Ten, but it needs to win out and hope Michigan stumbles once more to win the East.SuperlativesPlayer in the spotlight: OU WR Dede Westbrook. He leads the nation with 1,100 receiving yards since Oct. 1. During that time he has caught 82 percent of the passes thrown his way and has gained a Power 5-high 515 yards after the catch.Matchup to watch: Washington States offense vs. Colorados defense. The Buffs secondary is ranked No. 2 in the nation behind Ohio State at 5.5 yards allowed per attempt, and Wazzu QB Luke Falk leads the country with a 74 percent completion rate. The Cougars have an FBS-high eight players with at least 20 receptions each.Upset watch: Louisville at Houston. The Cardinals cant afford another slow start like they had against Duke, Virginia and Wake Forest. Houston receiver Chance Allen said this is our Super Bowl. QB Greg Ward Jr. is still battling an ankle injury that has hindered him all season, but coach Tom Herman said Ward is going to play and give his brothers everything hes got.Dont forget about: Pitt RB James Conner. As if his miraculous recovery from cancer wasnt enough, Conner stands only two touchdowns shy of breaking the ACCs career record for touchdowns scored that is currently held by Virginias Wali Lundy.Under-the-radar game: Navy at East Carolina. The Midshipmen can clinch the AACs West Division with a win over the Pirates.Dubious distinction: Sorry, Cal. You get the award this week. Stanford has won six straight meetings over the Golden Bears in The Big Game, and another this year would match the longest winning streak by either team in the series (Stanford won seven straight from 1995 to 2001), according to ESPN Stats & Information. Cheap NFL Jerseys China . That gave fans outside Joe Louis Arena another chance to ask for autographs from the 19-year-old whose stardom in the NHL has arrived earlier than most expected. Cheap Baseball Jerseys China . -- James Young couldnt wait to apply those tweaks to his jump shot, and the first one he made against UT Arlington told him it could be a good night. http://www.wholesalejerseysnflusa.com/ .C. -- Glenn Howard needed an extra end to move into the Masters Grand Slam of Curling final.Patrick Davison sat down with Jermain Defoe to chat about the pressure on his shoulders at Sunderland, how he learnt from Ian Wright, and his relationships with Dick Advocaat and Sam Allardyce... Theres always a food bus at Sky Live games. A double-decker where everyone can sit and eat a few hours before kick-off.It was on the bus ahead of Tuesday nights game between Newcastle and Manchester City that conversation, predictably, turned to who might stay up. There was a variety of opinions, but only one player from any of the three teams fighting for their lives got a mention - Jermain Defoe.When I met with the man himself at Sunderlands Academy of Light training ground a few days later, it was the first thing I put to him. I wanted to know what its like, having the pressure of everyone expecting you to score, knowing youre the one team-mates rely on, that the clubs future might very well rest in your hands.He didnt look worried. Defoe loves being the main man.The goals now are more important than ever, says the striker who already has 141 of them in the Premier League.But its good pressure. I want to be the one who makes the difference, who wins us games which are so big.I keep that in my mind when Im out there on the pitch and I wait for my chance. Defoe says he is not surprised by the rise of Harry Kane or Tottenham after their impressive season Hes been like this for as long as he can remember. As a kid, endlessly watching and re-watching video tapes, just to see goals. Never happy, even when playing in the playground, if he didnt score.The boys used to laugh about it. JDs not going to pass it round the edge of the box. But if I was a defender or midfielder, Id want a striker like that.Even now, in training, if I score, Younes Kaboul and Sheasy [John OShea] say to me: Brilliant, keep adding to the tally, keep doing it. They know what it means to me to score. Maybe I was born that way.Defoe has worked hard to become a finisher. During those younger days, he would travel from his home in east London to the north of the capital to watch Arsenal - Sunderlands opponents on this weekends Super Sunday. Sam Allardyce believes Sunderland need three wins from their last five games tto avoid relegation He wasnt an Arsenal fan, he didnt even always follow the ball. Cheap NFL Jerseys USA. . He went to Highbury to watch Ian Wright.Back then people used to say Boring Arsenal, but they used to win 1-0 and Wrighty would score. To think now that Im the one the lads look to for the goal is a great feeling.A young Defoe didnt just watch football, he was, and is, a big boxing fan. Now, along with his team-mates, hes in a scrap of his own and drawing inspiration from those he watched in the ring.I remember being at my nans and watching the Benn v Eubank fights. There was such a buzz, not just the fights but the whole build-up. I was always fascinated by the pressure and how they would deal with it. Jermain Defoe celebrates scoring in the win over Norwich last weekend Im also a massive Floyd Mayweather fan. Watching him before some of the biggest fights ever and hes always composed and relaxed. Its knowing that, yes theres massive pressure, but if you have enough belief you will do well.At times, in print, Defoes quotes look a bit like some of Mayweathers - assured, maybe even to the point of cockiness. But see him speak, as anyone who watches his interview on Sunday will, and a warm, engaging team man comes across.An example of his willingness to sacrifice himself for his team came last season under Dick Advocaat. The two didnt always see eye to eye and the Dutchman didnt believe he was suited to the lone striker role.Defoe had to do a job for the team as a left-sided midfielder, at times playing more like an extra left-back as Sunderland escaped relegation.I told him Id scored a hat-trick playing for England against Bulgaria playing up front by myself, says the 33-year-old, who finished with 19 goals in 55 games for his country. Defoe discusses his younger days in football and how watching Ian Wright helped him to perfect the art of goalscoring. But for some reason he thought I couldnt do it. I never really said anything, I just let my football do the talking.This season, mainly under Sam Allardyce, faith in Defoe has been restored. The striker has managed 13 league goals in a struggling side, the last of them the vital second goal in a huge win at Norwich that kept Sunderland afloat.The new manager, he says, deserves credit. For his own turnaround and for the teams.Hes brilliant. A good guy and really funny. He knows how to do it. A manager can only do so much but he gives you the platform to go and win games. Hopefully we can stay up and then next season will be a good season.To escape, Sunderland will almost certainly need Defoes goals. And thats exactly the way he wants it.Watch Sunderland v Arsenal live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 1pm on Sunday. Also See: Big Sam: Defoe brainwashed Defoe: Fitness was big issue Sky Live: Sunderland v Arsenal Sunderland fixtures Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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