n, AND none of them can lose again this season, finishing with 11-1 records. If that happens, the ACC will turn to SportSource Analytics for its No. 7

The time to make September statements is over, but there is one more month to impress the College Football Playoff selection committee before it releases its first ranking on Nov. 1.At this point, the playoff picture is somewhat premature, as teams are just now entering the heart of conference play, and the committee holds league titles in high regard. Technically, any team with a chance to win its league should still be in the conversation. (Oklahoma: So youre saying theres a chance?)The perception of wins and losses will also change as the season evolves. Will Houstons win over Oklahoma carry as much weight in November as it did in Week 1? Not if the Sooners slip into oblivion. Alabama beat USC ... well, so did almost everyone else. The same can be said for Texas thrilling double-overtime win against Notre Dame in the season opener, as the Irish are now 1-3 after losing at home to Duke.A win over a Power 5 nonconference opponent will continue to resonate with the committee and help separate those teams from other comparable programs with weaker schedules, but as the teams evolve, so does the playoff picture.Heres a look at what we know after four weeks and what questions still linger heading into October:September answers:Alabama is still the team to beat. The defending national champs entered the season with questions about their quarterbacks and running backs, but after a 4-0 start they have reasserted themselves as the premier team in the country. The gritty win over Ole Miss, which had beaten the Crimson Tide the previous two seasons, made the biggest statement and cemented Bamas perch atop the SEC West. The biggest concern right now is staying healthy, as the top two running backs, Damien Harris and Bo Scarbrough, were injured against Kent State.Notre Dame and USC arent top-four -- or top-25.?Both fell far fast and are off to 1-3 starts, major disappointments for programs that entered the season with playoff aspirations. The Irish suffered their worst upset in two decades on Saturday when they lost at home to Duke, which was a three-touchdown underdog, and USC lost a heartbreaker to Utah on Friday night. The Trojans simply havent looked good enough to contend for the Pac-12 title, let alone a spot in the top four.Louisville has legitimate national title hopes. After embarrassing then-No. 2 Florida State 63-20, Louisville flipped a switch from playoff dark horse to contender. It has looked like the best team in the ACCs Atlantic Division and will have played both FSU and Clemson before the first CFP ranking comes out. Quarterback Lamar Jackson is a front-runner for the Heisman Trophy, but Louisvilles defense has made the Cardinals the total package entering October.The Group of 5 has hope. Houstons win over Oklahoma wasnt a fluke. Clearly the Cougars were the better team, but they still need a perfect season plus a bit of help to get into the top four. Its not impossible, but the Thursday night game against Louisville on Nov. 17 has grown in importance. In addition to needing to finish undefeated, Houston needs OU to be relevant in the Big 12 race and for the committee to acknowledge a few of its American Athletic Conference opponents in its top 25.The Big 12 is in a precarious position. Oklahoma is 1-2 but hasnt even started conference play. The excitement around Texas fizzled with its loss at Cal. TCU lost in double overtime to Arkansas, and Oklahoma States controversial loss to Central Michigan (which just lost to Virginia) was a microcosm of the hand-wringing that Big 12 fans have gone through this season. So the league turns to Baylor, a program mired in controversy, as its highest-ranked team. Whoever emerges as the league champ will likely be afforded only?one loss by the committee.Tennessee controls the SEC East. What streak? Butch Jones can exhale after overcoming an 18-point deficit in the second half to beat Florida and snap an 11-game losing streak in the series. Equally as important is that the win propelled the Vols to the top of the East standings as the front-runner to win the division, especially after Georgias dreadful performance in a 45-14 loss to Ole Miss.Lingering questions:Can anyone beat Alabama? Not even Ole Miss could do it this year. LSU certainly doesnt look capable after a loss to Auburn. With its win over Arkansas, Texas A&M became the lead contender to challenge the Tide in the SEC West, but Alabama will have home-field advantage in that game on Oct. 22. Tennessee also has new life in the East and could have two shots at Bama, and in case you didnt notice, rival Auburn still has a pulse. Anything can happen in the Iron Bowl.How will the committee view Baylor? The Bears are now the Big 12s highest-ranked team after their win over Oklahoma State, and West Virginia is the only other undefeated team in the league. For the third straight year, Baylors nonconference schedule is laughable compared to others, but is the Big 12s most polarizing program also its best? Can the Bears remain relevant in the conference race? If so, will the committee members be able to separate what has happened on the field with the transgressions off it?Can Wisconsin keep it up? The Badgers have one of the most impressive September résumés, knocking off two top-10 teams in LSU and Michigan State. Remember, though, that Wisconsin made it to the Big Ten championship game in 2014 and was dismantled by Ohio State and its third-string quarterback. Theres no doubt the Badgers found their quarterback in Alex Hornibrook, but they also face back-to-back top-five opponents in Michigan and Ohio State.Is Utah for real? The Utes are off to a 4-0 start, but they also did that last year and were 3-0 to start 2014. They havent been able to sustain their recent strong starts through conference play. Utah next travels to Cal, and should also be leery of a surging Colorado team in the ever-unpredictable South Division, which has had four different champs in each of the past four seasons.Will the ACC need its third-party tiebreaker? Its a long shot, as several things need to happen: Clemson has to beat Louisville, AND Florida State has to beat Clemson, AND none of them can lose again this season, finishing with 11-1 records. If that happens, the ACC will turn to SportSource Analytics for its No. 7 tiebreaker, using the highest-ranked team, according to their team rating score metric, to determine the Atlantic Division winner.Ohio State or Michigan? It was clear in the home loss to Wisconsin that Michigan State has issues, and Sparty didnt look ready to return to the Big Ten title game. So which one is it? Ohio State or Michigan? The Buckeyes have the better résumé right now thanks to a road win over Oklahoma, and they also have to travel to Wisconsin on Oct. 15, in addition to facing Nebraska, Michigan State and Michigan. The Wolverines host Wisconsin on Saturday. Brewers Jerseys China . 31, the CFL club announced Monday. The team also has yet to decide on the future of Doug Berry, who began the season as a consultant to the head coach but took over the offensive co-ordinators duties in July. Custom Brewers Jersey China . -- Al Jefferson found a groove just in time for the Charlotte Bobcats. http://www.custombrewersjersey.com/ . -- Matt Kuchar and Harris English ran away with the Franklin Templeton Shootout, shooting a 14-under 58 on Sunday in the final-round scramble to break the tournament course record. Cheap Brewers Jerseys .ca NHL Power Rankings for the second straight week, ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche. Wholesale Custom Brewers Shirts .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. ATLANTA -- R.A. Dickey was won over by an Atlanta Braves sales team that included two Hall of Famers, including a fellow knuckleballer.Dickey said he knew the Braves would be a good fit after meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, with a group that included manager Brian Snitker, general manager John Coppolella and two Hall of Famers -- former manager Bobby Cox and knuckleballer Phil Niekro.I had a great feeling then there was great hope I would be able to join the organization, Dickey said Thursday after agreeing to a one-year contract with an $8 million guarantee.He considers Niekro to be part of the Jedi council of knuckleballers who influenced his career.Phil and I have a good relationship, Dickey said. I consider him a friend. We filmed a documentary together.He gets a $7.5 million salary next year, and the Braves have an $8 million option for 2018 with a $500,000 buyout. The deal for the 42-year-old right-hander, the first of the 158 free agents to switch teams this offseason, is subject to a successful physical, tentatively planned for late next week.Dickey said he had the Braves near the top of a short list of prospective teams. He noted the short travel distance -- 3 hours, 15 minutes from doorstep to doorstep -- from his home to Atlanta was a biig factor.ddddddddddddIve grown up a Braves fan and have always admired the organization, Dickey said.Dickey said having four children ages 14 and younger kept retirement an option if he did not find interest from the right team.Dickey had a career-high 20 wins and won the NL Cy Young in 2012, his final season with the New York Mets. The right-hander spent the last four years with the Toronto Blue Jays, going 10-15 with a 4.46 ERA this year.Dickey said the velocities on his knuckleball were as high as theyve ever been and he expects to pitch 200 innings in 2017.No one had double-figure wins for Atlanta this year, prompting Coppolella to say he will pursue at least two established starters on the free-agent market. Julio Teheran heads a rotation projected to include Josh Collmenter.Dickey is 110-108 with a 4.01 ERA in his career. He logged at least 200 innings five straight seasons from 2011 to 2015. Since 2010, his 1,441 innings rank ninth in the majors.He said it was a challenge to pitch in the AL Easts small parks and said the rebuilding Braves potential in their new SunTrust Park in suburban Atlanta was a selling point. ' ' '