hes as professional as they come. So hes going to be a very important part of our team for the next three years | Forum

Were almost at the halfway point of the season, the time of year when the top teams in the country start to separate by rising to the top of their conference standings. Air Max 2018 Saldi .Clemson has emerged as the clear frontrunner to win the ACC, Washington has proven to be the team to beat in the Pac-12, and Alabama is still ... Alabama. In the Big Ten, the Ohio State-Michigan game cant get here soon enough, and the Big 12 is simply playing from behind, once again depending upon a backloaded league schedule to impress the selection committee when it matters most.In the Group of 5, Houstons top four dreams were shattered on Saturday with an American Athletic Conference West Division loss to Navy.Conference play has that effect, as teams knock each other out of the postseason picture and undefeated ranked teams -- gasp! -- lose. There are still 11 undefeated teams remaining, including nine from the Power 5 conferences. At this point last year, there were 16 unbeaten teams, and only one - Clemson - stayed that way.Can this years Power 5 frontrunners stay the course until Dec. 4 when the College Football Playoff selection committee releases its final ranking? The sport has a tendency to sort itself out.In many ways, it already has.Heres a closer look at the College Football Playoff pecking order heading into Week 7. For more, watch tonights College Football Playoff: Top 25 (ESPN, 7 p.m. ET).Tier I: Alabama stands aloneUntil proven otherwise, Alabama remains king. Not even Ole Miss, which was the only team to beat the Tide in each of the past two seasons, was able to finish the job on its home turf this year. Heres the tricky part: Alabama is beginning its toughest three-game stretch of any season since 2005, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information. The Tide will travel to Tennessee this weekend, come home to face Texas A&M on Oct. 22, then have a bye week to prepare for a road trip to LSU on Nov. 5.According to ESPNs Sharon Katz, an average FBS team would have a .05 percent chance to win all three games, which includes three opponents ranked in the top 12 of ESPNs Football Power Index (two on the road). Alabama isnt exactly average. ESPNs FPI gives the Tide a 29 percent chance to win its next three games.If it does? Alabama stands alone -- again.Tier II: Win and youre inCandidates: Ohio State, Clemson, Michigan, Washington, Texas A&MThis group likely features the Big Ten champ, Pac-12 champ and ACC champ -- a forecast of three of the top four playoff spots. Add in the SEC champ (See: Tier I) and theres your top four.Only one question here: Whos the Big Ten champ?No, we cant fast-forward to Nov. 26, when Ohio State hosts Michigan, but that will be The Answer to the Big Tens playoff question. Its possible -- but extremely unlikely -- for the runner-up to get into the top four, especially if the other candidates here run the table and win their leagues. According to ESPNs FPI, Clemson has a 36 percent chance to enter bowls undefeated, Michigan 34 percent and Washington 31 percent. We will know a lot more about the Buckeyes on Saturday after their trip to Wisconsin, an opponent Michigan already defeated.And then theres Texas A&M. The Aggies already have wins over UCLA, Auburn, Arkansas and Tennessee, but none of it will amount to a top-four spot if the Aggies cant win at Alabama on Oct. 22 (See: Tier I). ESPNs FPI gives A&M a 29.3 percent chance at the upset. If the Aggies can pull it off, it will change the playoff picture instantly.?Tier III: Playoff worthy but needs helpCandidates: LouisvilleThe ACC appears to be the Power 5 conference with the best chance to get two teams in the top four in spite of the Cardinals narrow, thrilling loss at Clemson on Oct. 1. The only reason this scenario isnt far-fetched is because Louisville has looked like a top-four team with Lamar Jackson at quarterback, and its favored to win each remaining game by at least 70 percent.The problem is Houston is the only ranked team remaining on the Cardinals schedule, and Houston just lost to Navy. Now, Houston might not even win its own West Division in the American Athletic Conference. It would still be a respectable win for Louisville, but it wont carry as much weight with the committee as it would have had the Cougars been fighting for a spot in the top four. Louisvilles best hope is not only to win out, but to have another conference champion with a weaker strength of schedule slip up and have two losses.Tier IV: The Power 5 undefeatedsCandidates:?Baylor, Nebraska, West VirginiaBaylor has almost no margin for error, as it faces the same nonconference strength-of-schedule questions it had in the first two years of the CFP. With wins against SMU, Northwestern State and Rice, an undefeated season is the Bears only realistic hope at cracking the top four.Nebraska has quietly gotten off to a 5-0 start, but the Huskers have back-to-back road trips at Wisconsin (Oct. 29) and Ohio State (Nov. 5) -- the only two games on their schedule ESPNs FPI doesnt project them to win. If they escape those trips, its time for a more serious conversation. The same can be said for West Virginia, which has played only one FBS team (Kansas State) with a winning record. If the Mountaineers are still undefeated heading into November, after road trips to Texas Tech and Oklahoma State, thats only half the battle. Texas, OU and Baylor still await. Scarpe Nike Air Max 97 Uomo .C. at the helm of the top team in the Eastern Conference. His tenure as the GM in Vancouver was all too brief. Though he led the Canucks to what was then a franchise record-shattering campaign in just his second season, Nonis was gone and replaced one year later. Nike Air Max 97 Silver Offerta . But by the time the game started, the Toronto Raptors forward felt even worse. And, for three quarters, it showed as Gay shot a woeful three-for-13 from the field. http://www.scarpesportiveoutlet.it/nike-air-max-2018.html . Walcott is available for Saturdays home match against Southampton as Arsenal looks to extend its two-point lead at the top of the Premier League. The Gunners are currently the second highest scorers in the league but Wenger insists Walcott will add something extra to his team. IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Nicholas Baer arrived at Iowa in 2014 as a spindly walk-on who looked as though he might never be more than a practice body.These days, the Hawkeyes dont know what they would do without him.Baers 4.8 points and 2.6 rebounds per game last season dont reflect how truly valuable he was. Baers versatility and energy off the bench were crucial as the Hawkeyes reached the NCAA Tournament for the third year in a row. There doesnt appear to be a starting spot for the 6-foot-7 Baer in 2016-17, but coach Fran McCaffery intends to lean on Baer for a boost as much as possible.Hell do a lot of the same things, but hell have an expanded role. Hell play more, McCaffery said Wednesday at the teams annual media day.That Baer blossomed into a Big Ten player in just two years is a testament to his work ethic and feel for the game.Baer posted an impressive resume in high school, earning first-team all-state honors as a senior for Bettendorf (Iowa) while averaging 15.2 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.2 blocks, 1.5 steals and 1.5 assists. But Baer was just 185 pounds, and no school outside of Division II Northwest Missouri State offered him a scholarship.McCaffery saw something in Baer that few others did, inviting him to join the Hawkeyes with no promise of a scholarship.Baer redshirted in 2014-15. Last season, Iowa brought in a big freshman class to augment a roster with four senior starters -- leaving Baer almost no shot at playing time. Baer had to force his way into the rotation, which he has done in part by putting on 20 pounds since high school.Its been extremely difficult. Its been a long process for sure, Baer said. I feel stronger than ever, and I have more stamina to sustain that effort thats been successful for me.Baer raiseed some eyebrows in last seasons opener, hitting a pair of garbage-time 3-pointers in a blowout of Gardner-Webb. Air Max 2018 Uomo. A few weeks later, he had eight points off the bench in a win over then-No. 20 Wichita State.Bears breakout moment helped save the Hawkeyes from an embarrassing defeat to instate rival Drake. Iowa was sluggish until Baer came off the bench and scored 13 points with seven rebounds and six blocks to help the Hawkeyes escape 70-64.Baer was a key reserve the rest of the way, scoring 15 points in Iowas blowout loss to eventual national champion Villanova in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.Baers efforts were rewarded by the coaching staff this spring with a scholarship.It just shows what our program is about. He gives everything he has every time hes on the court. He has heart, Iowa forward Ahmad Wagner said.How much Baer will play for the Hawkeyes is up in the air with the season still a month away.Wagner and Dom Uhl figure to be the favorites to start in the frontcourt. Junior college transfer Dale Jones and talented freshman Tyler Cook -- who McCaffery said Wednesday had the highest ceiling of any recruit he has ever landed -- will likely get key minutes as well.But Iowas coaching staff has learned not to underestimate Baer, one of the players they know they dont have to worry about.He makes plays, he makes shots. He rebounds the ball, he defends and he plays both ends. He thinks the game through, McCaffery said. I mean, hes as professional as they come. So hes going to be a very important part of our team for the next three years.---Online: www.collegebasketball.ap.org Cheap NFL JerseysCheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys' ' '