well see some different guys on the field just based on the left-right situation, Red Sox manager John Farrell said before Saturdays game, noting O

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.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. Keith Hernandez Cardinals Jersey . Datsyuk will miss Tuesdays game against New Jersey and could be sidelined longer, while Cleary will likely miss at least the next three games. Its been an injury-plagued season for Datsyuk, who has suited up for just 39 games. Michael Wacha Cardinals Jersey . Pierce was ejected in the third quarter of Indianas 103-86 win Monday. George Hill stole a bad pass and was going in for a layup, and Pierce hustled back and appeared to be trying to wrap him up. http://www.authenticcardinalspro.com/cardinals-mike-shannon-jersey/ . It was the second consecutive win for the Pacers (2-5), who lost their first five preseason games. Jeff Teague led the Hawks (1-5) with 17 points and eight assists and Al Horford had 12 points and seven rebounds. Mike Scott scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half. Tim McCarver Jersey . The Dane followed up his first European Tour title last weekend with eight birdies and just a single dropped shot on Thursday for a one-stroke advantage over South Africas Allan Versfeld and Portugals Ricardo Santos. Dexter Fowler Jersey . "Thank you for the warm welcome," Beckham said on an 80-degree February morning. In this case, it was soccer weather. The sport moved a step closer to returning to South Florida on Wednesday, when Beckham confirmed he has exercised his option to purchase a Major League Soccer expansion franchise in Miami. BOSTON -- CC Sabathia is just 12-13 with a 4.54 ERA against the Boston Red Sox in his career. But you wouldnt know it from the stats posted by the current Boston players as the left-hander heads into Sunday nights start for the New York Yankees at Fenway Park.Sabathia will try to help his team avoid a sweep of the four-game series that has essentially ended its postseason hopes.The current Red Sox are hitting a combined .232 with five homers and 20 RBI against Sabathia, who brings a 5-5 record and 5.15 Fenway ERA into the rain-threatened game.Hanley Ramirez comes in 0-for-10 against Sabathia, and David Ortiz is at .219 with two homers in 73 at-bats, Aaron Hill is 4-for-31, Xander Bogaerts is 2-for-15 and Jackie Bradley Jr. is 3-for-14 with seven strikeouts.Obviously, with CC on the mound, well see some different guys on the field just based on the left-right situation, Red Sox manager John Farrell said before Saturdays game, noting Ortiz, who is 16-for-73 against Sabathia, might get the night off.Sabathia, who faces fellow left-hander Drew Pomeranz in the final Fenway game of the season between the rivals, has been pitching well, with four quality starts in his last five outings. He has faced the Red Sox just once this season, yielding nine hits and five runs (four earned) in a July 16 loss at Yankee Stadium.The Yankees came to Boston in the middle of the American League wild-card picture and four games out of first place in the AL East. They were set to make it even closer when they blew the opener in a Red Sox ninth-inning rally. Boston also won Friday and then rallied to win Saturday.We know were making it tough on oourselves and dont expect this group to give up until were eliminated, Yankees manager Joe Girardi said.dddddddddddd So I dont think anybody here thinks were completely out of it now. But we know its going to be tough, so we know were going to have to win almost every game just to try to get back in this thing.Pomeranz, acquired by the Red Sox from the San Diego Padres in exchange for pitching prospect Anderson Espinoza in what has become a controversial deal (Padres general manager A.J. Prella suspended for 30 days for withholding medical information), is 2-5 with a 4.60 ERA in 11 starts with the Red Sox and 10-12 with a 3.25 ERA overall.He has pitched twice against the Yankees this season, allowing two runs in 12 1/3 innings but posting a 0-0 record.Current Yankee hitters are batting a combined .211 with two homers against Pomeranz. Starlin Castro is 0-for-7, Mark Teixeira 1-for-9 with four strikeouts and Chase Headley 2-for-12 with five Ks. Jacoby Ellsbury is 3-for-7 and Brett Gardner 3-for-9 with a home run. Didi Gregorius has the other home run.Pomeranz, who has allowed two or fewer runs in six of his last eight starts, said he had no knowledge of what his former team was up to with his medical records.Ive been asked about this before, he told WEEI.com on Friday. I dont really know anything about that. That parts above my head. Im just the guy who got traded. I dont know any of this stuff thats going on, any of the back and forth. I dont really know how the whole thing went down at all. ' ' '