n a total of 10 games against Power 5 opponents. It finish

There is no convoluted formula or secret access code into the College Football Playoff. It is, however, an exclusive club -- one that so far has been reserved for the big boys of college football, the conference champions from the Big Ten, Big 12, ACC, Pac-12 and SEC.The only common denominator between the haves and have-nots chasing a spot in the playoff is the one question every team must answer for the selection committee: Who did you beat?Last year, Houston beat Florida State, Louisville and Vanderbilt. Memphis beat Ole Miss. Cincinnati beat Miami. The entire American Athletic Conference went 6-4 against the ACC and won a total of 10 games against Power 5 opponents. It finished with three 10-win teams in Houston, Navy and Temple.New Years Six bowl? Definitely. Top four? Not a chance.I talked to the committee and I talked to the chair, said American Conference commissioner Mike Aresco. We were able to talk to them at the College Football Playoff, and I said, I just think there might be this bias toward teams that have always been there, teams in the P5 with the big names, but these teams can play, and Houston couldve been a very worthy playoff team.It still might be.The American raised its profile in the eyes of the committee last year, but in order for the group to even consider a team from the Group of 5 -- comprised of The American, the MAC, the Mountain West, the Sun Belt and C-USA -- it would likely have to be undefeated, including at least one win over a ranked Power 5 opponent, and the entire league would have to have a few top 25 teams like the American did last year.Its not impossible.Its just not probable in this system.I think the landscape needs to be evened out and made fair, said former Oregon offensive coordinator and first-year UCF coach Scott Frost. I think from our perspective, an eight-team playoff would be a lot better. Then you can take the top Group of 5 team and throw them in with the seven best Power 5 teams.I think the number of conference games needs to be standard throughout the leagues, he said. Im coming from the Pac-12, where we had to win nine straight conference games, and whatever nonconference you had, and a playoff if you get there. Wed be playing Arizona State or USC in Week 10, watching the SEC play The Citadel or Georgia Southern. Those kinds of things arent equitable. If were going to get to a point where everything is fair, then they need to even out the scheduling with everybody and give everybody a fair shake.Temple coach Matt Rhule hasnt forgotten what it feels like to be undefeated and left out. He was on the 1994 Penn State team that went undefeated and didnt win the national title.This system? Its sooo much better, he said.That team wouldve killed for this opportunity, he said. I think its a step in the right direction, but I look forward to the day we open it up to eight teams. Im hoping that some day that happens, because I think the teams in this league, if they put them in the playoff, people would be really surprised at what we would do. I think wed have some really great games.There will be several chances to prove it this season.Houston has gotten the bulk of the attention as the Group of 5s best playoff hope, but ESPNs Football Power Index gives Boise State the best chance of any Group of 5 team to win out, at 7.9 percent - the fourth-best chance of any team in the country behind Oklahoma, Florida State and Clemson. FPI projects Houston to win just 8.6 games, but the Cougars will face Oklahoma and Louisville.South Florida also has a monumental opportunity at home when it faces Florida State, but its unlikely the selection committee could ignore a season opener against Towson. Memphis once against faces Ole Miss, Tulsa travels to Ohio State, and SMU has TCU and Baylor. One of the more underrated difficult schedules is ECUs three-game stretch against NC State, South Carolina and Virginia Tech.Lining up against Power 5 opponents is one thing. Winning those games is another.If you become the conference champion in the American conference and you win those games, UConns Bob Diaco said, I dont know how youre not going to be a part of that group of four, I really dont.The highest-ranked champion from the Group of 5 is guaranteed a spot in a New Years Six bowl, which Houston earned last year, when they beat Florida State 38-24 in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. If the Cougars can beat the Sooners in Week 1, they should immediately be taken seriously in the CFP race.If they went undefeated and win those games, Aresco said, I dont know how you keep them out.Maybe you dont.Its going to take perfection, though, to find out. Wholesale Jordan Shoes From China . 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Plouffe batted .254 with 14 home runs and 52 RBIs in 477 at-bats last season, his second as a regular in the lineup. Air Jordan Cheap Wholesale . The 26-year-old Ireland striker, who has four goals this season, has signed a three-and-a-half year contract with his new club. LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Rams flight from Detroit to London was a breeze, and the team arrived in England ready to start work for the upcoming week.Fixing the problems revealed in Sundays loss to the Lions will take a bit longer.The Rams (3-3) have lost two straight heading into their game against the New York Giants at Twickenham Stadium this weekend, erasing their strongest start to a season in a decade.A trip to London is an added complication for a team that has seemingly spent most of 2016 in transit, but the NFL and the Rams support staff are making this journey as manageable as possible. The Rams had a team meal with their families at Ford Field before boarding their flight and touching down across the Atlantic on Monday.We came in this morning, and everything is set up, coach Jeff Fisher said in a phone interview from London. Were ready to go. The coaches, as we speak, are game-planning downstairs. They havent had a whole lot of sleep, but I think by Wednesday, well be OK. The players will be the same way. Were encouraging them to eat and take care of themselves.The players have Tuesday off before returning to practice Wednesday, so the coaches have only a few days to address the shift in the Rams problems revealed in Detroit.After five weeks of the Los Angeles defense soundly outplaying the offense, quarterback Case Keenum set a franchise record for consecutive completions during an impressive offensive day in Detroit -- only to be let down by the defense giving up 348 yards and 31 points.The offense did their job, and thats what the focus has been over the past month, Fisher said. Were improving. We just need to keep it going. ... (Keenum) had a great day. It obviously wasnt enough to win. The difficulty we had in the game was keeping Detroit out of the end zone and 31 points is unacceptable from a defensive (standpoint). We had some opportunities to change the game. We just couldnt make the play we needed to make on defense.The Rams also continued to be plagued by penaltiees.dddddddddddd Theyre third in the NFL with 50 penalties for 435 yards. Still, Fisher insists: Im not overly concerned right now. Penalties arent our problem.Hes more concerned about getting execution from a defense that was missing two of its best players in Detroit: defensive end Robert Quinn and cornerback Trumaine Johnson. Los Angeles then lost defensive lineman Michael Brockers and defensive back Lamarcus Joyner to injuries during the game, and its too early in the week to know who will be back this weekend at Twickenham.I expect our defense to bounce back as the health factor improves, Fisher said. The encouraging thing for me in the big picture is the offense is making plays, and Case is comfortable, and were pushing the ball down the field. Were getting the ball in the end zone. Were getting the ball to our playmakers.Indeed, the Rams no longer have the NFLs 32nd-ranked offense, even if only for a week. After finishing last in 2015 and ranking last again this season, Los Angeles moved up to 31st with 387 yards at Detroit, boosting its average to 301.3 yards per game.Game notes Fisher said he apologized to Detroit coach Jim Caldwell after the Rams attempted to break through the Lions offensive line on the final two plays, attempting to force a turnover in the Victory formation. Fisher indicated star DL Aaron Donald was upset about the Detroit offensive lines behavior earlier in the game, but didnt use it as an excuse. When the games over, the games over, Fisher said. Pay respect to your opponent. ... Well address it, and its unlikely it will happen again. ... Brockers was sidelined in Detroit by a new injury, not the hip problem that kept him out against Buffalo earlier this month. ... OL Cody Wichmann could have played at Detroit, but wasnt needed, Fisher said. Wichmann has an ankle injury.---AP NFL websites: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '