NEU » goal. Reyna made a series of sensation

The College Football Playoff selection committee showed us Tuesday that a team can drop from No. 11 to out of the rankings entirely with one bad loss, as Florida did.It showed us that a top-four team can suffer a bad loss to an unranked opponent, as Texas A&M did to Mississippi State, and fall just four spots because of the high regard the committee has for a head-to-head result, such as the Aggies win over No. 9 Auburn.More than anything, Tuesdays rankings were a reminder that there are 12 people -- not computers -- deciding the top four teams in the country, and quite simply, they are free to change their minds on a weekly basis (hello, No. 4 Washington).All the more reason for the top contenders to leave no doubt they deserve a spot in a semifinal game by avoiding an upset with just three weeks remaining in the regular season. No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Clemson and No. 3 Michigan are all playing unranked opponents. No. 4 Washington is playing a ranked opponent only because the committee put USC in at No. 20 this week, and deservedly so, after the Trojans have reeled off five straight wins.No. 5 Ohio State faces an unranked opponent, and so does No. 6 Louisville. Each of the top six teams, with the exception of Washington, are favored by at least 20 points.So what happens if -- gasp! -- theres an upset this week?Lets take a look at the possible scenarios:If No. 1 Alabama loses to Mississippi State: Not going to happen, but if it does, Alabama remains in the same must-win situation its in now, meaning it has to beat Auburn in the Iron Bowl on Nov. 26. Regardless of what happens to Alabama on Saturday, if Auburn wins out, the Tigers will win the SEC West. One loss didnt kept the Tide out of the playoff in each of the past two years, and it would not do so this year. But a loss could drop Alabama out of the top four next week, just as it did Texas A&M. Ohio State (No. 10 Penn State) and Louisville (to No. 2 Clemson) would each have a better loss, and who you lose to matters. Thats why the Aggies, having lost to the Tide, were ahead of Washington last week, and why Ohio State didnt get the same treatment Tuesday. Then again, one thing that hasnt been up for debate in the committee room is Alabamas status as No. 1. It might not drop out of the top four at all.If No. 2 Clemson loses to Pitt: The Tigers would still be on the fast track to the ACC championship game, and they would still have the head-to-head win over Louisville -- two criteria in the committees protocol that would be strikes against Louisville. Its unlikely Clemson would fall behind Louisville, especially considering the committee didnt drop No. 8 Texas A&M behind No. 9 Auburn on Tuesday in spite of a bad loss, specifically because it wanted to continue to honor the Aggies win in their head-to-head matchup. The question is whether Clemson would fall behind Ohio State. The Tigers would have better wins than the Buckeyes (Auburn, No. 18 Florida State and Louisville) but a worse loss.If No. 3 Michigan loses to Iowa: The Wolverines would probably drop out of the top four in the committees third rankings, but it wouldnt keep them out of the Big Ten championship game, which keeps their playoff hopes alive. Michigan owns the head-to-head tiebreaker over Penn State, but it would have to win out (including a victory over Ohio State in Columbus) to win the Big Ten East.If No. 4 Washington loses to No. 20 USC: Do not -- repeat, do not -- write off the Huskies. If their only loss is to a ranked USC team, and Washington goes on to win the Pac-12 championship, it would still have three wins against Top 25 teams (No. 15 Utah, No. 23 Washington State and the winner of the Pac-12 South in the title game). However, in that scenario, without a conference title, Washington would be compared against the other one-loss teams and probably fall behind Ohio State and possibly Louisville in the committees next rankings. There would still be enough left on Washingtons schedule, though, to potentially close that gap in the end. Washington plays the 12th-most-difficult remaining schedule, according to ESPNs Football Power Index. The only game Washington absolutely cannot afford to lose is the Apple Cup, because if Washington State enters that game undefeated in league play (or even with one loss) and beats the Huskies, it captures the Pac-12 North.If No. 5 Ohio State loses to Maryland: Buh-bye, Buckeyes. Forget about Michigan for a minute. Ohio State would then need Penn State to lose two more games, an unlikely scenario considering the Nittany Lions remaining schedule includes Indiana, Rutgers and Michigan State. ESPNs FPI favors PSU in each of its remaining games by at least 80 percent.SuperlativesPlayer in the spotlight: Washington WR John Ross. QB Jake Browning gets all the ink for the Huskies, but Ross 14 touchdown catches leads all Power 5 players. An FBS-best 10 of those have come in the red zone, and Ross is four touchdowns away from tying the schools single-season record for receiving touchdowns.Matchup to watch: Washington defense vs. USC QB Sam Darnold. The Huskies have one of the best defenses in the country, but how much will they miss their leading pass-rusher, Joe Mathis, in this matchup? Mathis has missed the past three games and is out for the season with a foot injury, and Darnold has been integral to the Trojans five-game winning streak, throwing 18 touchdowns and just three interceptions during that span. His mobility is a big reason no Power 5 player has been sacked at a lower rate (1.4 percent).Upset watch: This is only the Wolverines second trip outside their home state all season. Its also the second time under Kirk Ferentz that Iowa has faced an opponent thats 9-0 or better. The last time? 2008, when Iowa upset No. 3 Penn State. The Hawkeyes were 5-4 then, too.Remember when: The Oregon-Stanford game was big? Theres still plenty at stake for both teams, but this is the first time since 2008 that neither team will win the Pac-12 title.Dont forget about: No. 16 West Virginia at Texas. Mountaineers fans want to know why their one-loss team is ranked so low, and selection committee chair Kirby Hocutt said its because they have played only one team ranked in the Top 25, No. 13 Oklahoma State, and lost. Texas is coming off back-to-back wins and will have home-field advantage against a Big 12 team that clearly has no margin for error.Under-the-radar game: No. 9 Auburn at Georgia. The focus has already shifted to the Iron Bowl, but wait a minute: This isnt a gimme road trip. The last top-10 team to visit Sanford Stadium? No. 9 Auburn, which lost 34-7 in 2014. Georgia has won eight of the past 10 games in this series.Dubious distinction: Notre Dame plays Army on Saturday in San Antonio, and the only year in which Notre Dame lost to both Army and Navy was 1944, according to ESPN Stats & Info. Each of those games was played at a neutral site.Hand it over: Clemson can clinch the Atlantic Division with a win against Pitt. Clemson hasnt lost to an unranked team at home since October 2008, when it lost to Georgia Tech. Reilly Smith Golden Knights Jersey . Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the Carolina Hurricanes, announced Wednesday that the team would assign Swedish forward Elias Lindholm to his nations team for the upcoming tournament. Malcolm Subban Jersey . The No. 1-ranked Nadal tweaked his back warming up for the Australian Open final, which he lost almost four weeks ago in a major upset against Stanislas Wawrinka. His first stop after the layoff is the clay in Rio as he tests the back and tries to stay healthy for the French Open in three months. http://www.goldenknightssale.com/authentic-mark-stone-golden-knights-jersey/ .ca! Kerry, Two nights after the Scott-Eriksson incident in Buffalo, the Bruins returned home to play San Jose. In that game, Zdeno Chara put a check on Tommy Wingels that clearly targeted his head. Ryan Reaves Golden Knights Jersey .H. -- Matt Kenseth made it 2 for 2 in the Chase, holding off teammate Kyle Busch to win Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Reilly Smith Jersey . From filmmaker Nanette Burstein (On the Ropes), The Price of Gold revisits the saga that rocked the figure skating world ahead of the 1994 Lillehammer Olympic Winter Games: the assault on Nancy Kerrigan, and the plot that led its way back to her rival Tonya Harding.EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Oribe Peralta scored two first-half goals, leading Mexico to an easy 4-1 victory over the Ivory Coast in an international friendly Wednesday night. Mexico won for the first time in four matches in the United States this year. Mexico previously tied Denmark 1-1 in Glendale, Ariz. in January then played to a scoreless draw against Peru in San Francisco in April and to a 2-2 tie with Nigeria at Houston in May. Peralta scored in the 28th minute and again in the 45th. The Mexicans received an own goal in the 10th minute to start the scoring, set up by a play in front by Peralta when Ivory Coast defender Arthur Boka inadvertently put Peraltas shot past his own goalie, Boubacar Barry. Angel Reyna capped the scoring with a goal in the final minute of regulation for Mexico. Ivory Coast could not muster much offence and got its goal off a penalty kick from Didier Drogba in the 61st. Mexico had the first good scoring opportunity just 1:45 into the game when Giovani Dos Santos hard shot sailed just wide right of the goal. Three minutes later, Dos Santos had another good shot, but Barry punched it away with both fists. In the 10th minute, Ivory Coast made the first of its many first-half mistakes. Peralta made a fine move between two defenders, then put a shot toward goal that Boka put diirectly into his own net with his right foot, giving Mexico the lead for good.dddddddddddd In the 28th, Peralta was alert in capitalizing on a bad back pass from Ivory Coast midfielder Jean-Jaques Gosso, knocking the ball past Barry from eight yards out to push the lead to 2-0. Ivory Coasts lone chance to score in the first half came in the 41st when Mathis Bolly went past three Mexican defenders to put a left-footed shot toward the goal, but Mexican goalie Jesus Corona made a fine save. Then Peralta put a capper on his brilliant first half, successfully trailing the play before taking a nice crossing pass from Dos Santos and heading it home with just 12 seconds remaining in the half. In the second half, Mexico kept up the pressure and nearly had a fourth goal. Reyna made a series of sensational crossover moves -- much to the delight of the partisan Mexican crowd of 35, 671 -- faking his way past two defenders before firing a shot into the net that was waived off due to offsides. In the 61st minute, Drogba took a direct free kick that was ruled a hand ball in the penalty box. Drogba then took the subsequent penalty kick and fired it past Corona for Ivory Coasts goal. Reyna made another crisp move in the 89th, managing to get past two defenders and score the final goal of the match. ' ' '