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LONG POND, Pa. -- Jeff Gordon weaved his way through a mob of fans outside the media center, all screaming for an autograph from a driver they thought would never again wear a firesuit.He stepped over the tripod legs of three TV cameras lined against a side wall, patted a reporter on the back and took a seat on the dais where he was peppered with questions about how long his comeback tour might last.Ill be here as long as they need me, Gordon said. I say that very loosely.At Pocono Raceway, Gordon made it seem for hundreds of fans on Friday like he never left racing.Gordon 2.0 will last only as long as Dale Earnhardt Jr. remains sidelined with concussion-like symptoms. Earnhardt will miss his third straight race Sunday and Gordon will drive the No. 88 Chevrolet for the second straight weekend. There is no timetable on Earnhardts return.What should have been a leisurely first summer of retirement for a driver once sponsored by AARP has instead turned into a hectic world tour for Gordon. He was vacationing in France when team owner Rick Hendrick asked him to come out of retirement. He returned to racing at the Brickyard in Indianapolis. Then it was off to a sponsorship commitment in Mexico. This weekend, he looks to extend his track record for wins with his seventh.His busiest task?Doing some laundry, Gordon said, smiling.Gordon can handle the busy load, though hes unsure how many more weeks he will be needed as NASCARs most popular substitute. Earnhardt warned Monday that his return to NASCAR could take longer than planned. No decision has been made by Hendrick Motorsports about next weeks race at Watkins Glen.With an off week following that, the smart move could involve benching Earnhardt at least one more race. Gordon, a four-time NASCAR champion who turns 45 on Thursday, would make his 800th career start at the Glen.Its pretty cool that he has the opportunity to come out of retirement, Sprint Cup champion Kyle Busch said. Its neat to have him here, of course.Busch led the most laps last week at the Brickyard en route to his second straight Indy win. Gordon was 13th in his sentimental return to Indy.I never saw him on the racetrack, Busch said.Gordon could be more of a factor at Pocono, and maybe beyond. He starts 24th -- his old car number that has since been yielded to Chase Elliott -- in Sundays race.Its even more odd that it went from one race to two races, he said. And then will it be more? I dont know.Gordon and Earnhardt chat via FaceTime and Junior has offered some advice on the 88. Gordon has assured his one-time teammate that his recovery should be his only priority.Just get well at the pace that is the right pace to do it, Gordon said. Nobody is putting any pressure or time frame on that.Gordon battled through his own health woes over the second-half of his career, suffering in stretches from consistent, shooting back pain.I could fight through it longer if I had to. I prefer not to, he said.Gordon should be cashing in on the perks of retirement.Imagine, Gordon at home dealing cards on the blackjack table presented by Las Vegas Motor Speedway while his gambling buddies take turns sipping from the 24 bottles of bourbon presented by Kentucky Speedway, or enjoying a perfect pour from an 18-liter wine bottle from Sonoma Raceway.Outside, the Shetland ponies from Texas Motor Speedway are stabled nearby to the Bandolero car from Atlanta Motor Speedway.OK, not quite.Gordon was feted with dozens of retirement presents from tracks in 2015, and hes too appreciative of the gestures to re-gift them to other friends. Most of the souvenirs are in storage.We havent done any blackjack and havent drank any whisky or wine or any of those things, he said.He paused and laughed, Well, I mean I have; I drank plenty but its just not from the collection I was given as a gift.Gordon would surely make an exception if he could bust open a bottle of bubbly in victory lane on Sunday.Gordon paused before he returned to the garage for a brief chat with track President Brandon Igdalsky (ever been to the south of France?) and opened the door where the crowd of pesky autograph seekers had grown.They waved No. 24 diecasts and No. 24 hats and No. 24 photos in his face.The fans should save their old memorabilia -- he remained adamant that no authorized merchandise of Gordon in the 88 would be produced.I have too much respect for what Dales going through, Gordon said.Yes, Gordons return has created quite the buzz during a lazy summer NASCAR season, but its not forgotten the excitement has come at the expense of the health of NASCARs most popular driver.I like seeing him, Igdalsky said as Gordon left, but I wish I didnt have to see him.Fake Orioles Jerseys . 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Howard scored 18 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, including 13 of 19 free throws in a 2 1/2-minute stretch, and the Houston Rockets beat the Denver Nuggets 122-111.Poof!There goes everything you thought you knew about the College Football Playoff picture after No. 2 Clemson, No. 3 Michigan and No. 4 Washington all fell in Week 11 to join the one-loss club.Heres the crazy part: All three of them still control their own destiny in their conference races and will win their respective leagues if they win out. So, in spite of all of that chaos, its quite possible theres not a lot of movement in the selection committees top six this week.Its time to press the reset button.Heres a fresh look at the playoff picture in each Power 5 conference:ACCClemson: The Tigers will still clinch the Atlantic Division with a win at Wake Forest next week but cant afford another loss and have to beat rival South Carolina in the regular-season finale. If the committee is consistent with its reasoning from last week, the Tigers shouldnt drop below Louisville this week because of their head-to-head win over the Cardinals. Last week, Texas A&M didnt drop below Auburn specifically because of the Aggies head-to-head win.Louisville: The Cardinals were arguably the team that was helped the most, because at the very least, they will now be compared to more one-loss teams instead of undefeated teams. But Louisville still needs help. It cant win its conference championship unless Clemson loses to Wake Forest since the Cardinals were beaten head-to-head by Clemson. Plus, the Cardinals were trailing the Buckeyes in each of the committees first two rankings. With some more chaos, though, Louisville can still cling to the hope of having two ACC teams in the top four.BIG 12Oklahoma: The No. 11 Sooners are still undefeated in conference play but have been weighed down by nonconference losses to Ohio State and Houston. A bigger problem is the gap between them and No. 7 Wisconsin, which is currently the committees highest-ranked two-loss team.West Virginia: Dont count out a one-loss Big 12 champ, but the Mountaineers have a strength-of-schedule problem. When asked about WVU last week, selection committee chair Kirby Hocutt said, At this point in the season, theyve only played one game against a ranked College Football Playoff opponent, and that was to Oklahoma State, whos ranked No. 13 in this weeks rankings, and West Virginia lost that game. West Virginia just needs to continue to win and build their résumé in the eyes of the committee.BIG TENMichigan: If Michigan wins out, it will win the Big Ten East because the Wolverines own the head-to-head tiebreaker over Penn State. Michigan plays Indiana at home before the much-anticipated Nov. 26 gamme at Ohio State.ddddddddddddPenn State: Penn State has to win out and have Michigan lose again. If Penn State wins out, Ohio State cannot win the East division. If Penn State wins the division, the Big Ten is guaranteed to have a two-loss conference champion, as Wisconsin is the leader in the West, and its possible the league champ could be left out of the playoff entirely.Ohio State: The Buckeyes need Penn State to lose again, an unlikely scenario considering the Nittany Lions final two opponents are Michigan State and Rutgers. There is the possibility, though, that with more chaos, Ohio State sneaks into the top four without playing in the conference championship game as long as it wins out (which would include a victory over Michigan).Wisconsin: The Badgers have made the case as the nations best two-loss team with a chance at the playoff because they are currently ranked ahead of Oklahoma and will have another shot at a ranked opponent in the Big Ten title game, assuming they win the West.PAC-12Washington: If the Huskies win out, they will win the North and play in the Pac-12 championship game with a chance to keep their playoff hopes alive, but this is where their strength of schedule could be a serious dagger. Washingtons nonconference schedule ranks No. 128 according to ESPNs Football Power Index, with wins against Rutgers, Idaho and Portland State. Thats Baylor-esque, but the Huskies can still beat two more ranked opponents if they top Washington State in the Apple Cup, and then the South winner (probably Colorado or Utah) in the conference championship game.Colorado: Dont discount a two-loss Colorado if it beats three straight ranked opponents and wins the Pac-12 title, considering its two losses have been to ranked opponents Michigan and USC. The Buffs finish the season against ranked teams Washington State and Utah, and could upend a top-10 Washington team in the Pac-12 championship game. Utah could still win the Pac-12 South, but it has yet to beat a ranked opponent, and the trip to Colorado is the only opportunity remaining in the regular season against a ranked team.SECAlabama: The Tide clinched the SEC West and are now the only undefeated Power 5 team remaining. Even with a loss to Auburn in the Iron Bowl, Alabama will still play in the SEC championship game and is the leagues lone legitimate contender. Auburn was eliminated from the SEC race and the playoff conversation with its loss to Georgia. ' ' '