use of their opportunistic defense (which leads the nation with 22 takeaways) and the return of running back Joe Williams. In two games since he returned to the team, Williams has rushed for 511 yards, and he had four touchdowns against UCLA on Saturday.Reason for skepticism: Strength of schedule. In

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Talk about a 1-2-3 punch for the Toronto Blue Jays in these playoffs.The wild-card Blue Jays have rediscovered their power stroke in October, and are going home with a chance to sweep the Texas Rangers in the AL Division Series after a 5-3 win Friday.Edwin Encarnacion capped a three-homer burst in the fifth inning off Yu Darvish, and Toronto won on a dreary, misty afternoon for a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five matchup.One important reminder, though: Last fall, Toronto lost the first two games of the ALDS at home against Texas, then rallied to win the series.I learned something last year ... you got to win three games, Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. Theyve got a great team over there. You dont lead the American League, powerhouse league, you dont luck into that.Wearing spikes that had No Panic printed on them, closer Roberto Osuna got a five-out save that sent the Blue Jays home looking to clinch the series in Game 3 Sunday night.Osuna entered after reliever Francisco Liriano was hit near the back of the head by Carlos Gomezs line drive. Liriano was taken by ambulance after the game to a hospital, where he was checked out and then cleared to fly home with the team that evening. It was Osunas first appearance since he left the mound in the AL wild-card win Tuesday night with a shoulder injury that left his status in doubt.Kevin Pillar, Ezequiel Carrera and Encarnacion, who ended the wild-card game with a three-run homer in the 11th inning, hit solo homers in a five-batter span in the fifth. Troy Tulowitzkis two-run drive in the second put 20-game winner J.A. Happ and the Blue Jays ahead to stay.Getting behind in the count, and they were looking for fastballs, Darvish said through his interpreter. When I left it on the plate, they got it.Texas scored twice in the eighth, including Gomezs single that struck Liriano. The pitcher walked off the mound.A day after Cleveland homered three times in an inning against Boston and won its ALDS opener, the Blue Jays matched the feat against the team that won an AL-high 95 games this year. The home runs boosted the Blue Jays in a game in which they got outhit 13-6.While Toronto finished the regular season fourth in the majors with 221 homers, only eight came in the last 11 games. They already have eight in three postseason games.Home runs are always a good thing, Gibbons said.Darvish had as many strikeouts (four) in his five innings as homers allowed, becoming the first pitcher in the postseason to allow four homers in a game since Minnesotas Rick Reed against Oakland in Game 3 of the 2002 ALDS.Texas has lost five straight ALDS games to the Blue Jays since winning the first two games in Toronto last October. The Rangers dropped to 1-11 in ALDS games in their home ballpark, including Cole Hamels worst postseason outing in the 10-1 series-opening loss Thursday.Weve come back from a lot this year. ... We all believe in each other, said Texas outfielder Ian Desmond, who drove in two runs but was also thrown out trying to score on a grounder.Happ allowed nine hits but only run before leaving one batter into the sixth.You go into a game knowing that at some point theyre going to get their hits, Happ said. But yeah, it was a battle. It seemed like a long five innings.Osuna, who afterward said he felt no pain, came in a little earlier than planned, a move that followed Liriano getting struck.The ball off Gomezs bat was measured at 102 mph, and Liriano turned away just in time to avoid being hit in the face. Gomez winced as the ball caromed into right-center field for a single to make it 5-2.Desmond drove in a run with a grounder before Osuna struck out Carlos Beltran to end the eighth.Adrian Beltre was stranded at second after a leadoff double in the ninth.COOL DOWNAt first pitch, it was overcast with a temperature of 67 degrees, but the game started on time after rain fell overnight and in the early-morning hours at Globe Life Park. It was 90 degrees Thursday at the start of the series opener that was played under bright, sunny conditions.OUT AT HOMEDesmond had a leadoff double in the seventh, but was later thrown out at the plate after third baseman Josh Donaldson fielded a grounder. The out call stood after a replay challenge by the Rangers.TRAINERS ROOMBlue Jays: 2B Devon Travis was scratched from the starting lineup about an hour before the first pitch because of right knee irritation.Rangers: RF Shin-Soo Choo was out of the lineup after playing Game 1, but manager Jeff Banister said Choo was fine physically. Choo was on the disabled list four times this year, and had missed 39 games with a broken left forearm until last weekend.UP NEXTBlue Jays: One of the two losses this season by RHP Aaron Sanchez, the AL ERA leader at 3.00, was to Texas. He gave up six runs, matching his season high, and was the loser in that May 15 game with the bench-clearing brawl after Toronto star Jose Bautista was punched by Rougned Odor.Rangers: RHP Colby Lewis is 4-1 with a 2.38 ERA in nine career postseason games (eight starts) for Texas. 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Expect at least one one-loss team to make the College Football Playoff.Its the trend, not the anomaly, as six of the past eight CFP semifinalists lost during the regular season. According to ESPNs Football Power Index, there is only a 3 percent chance that there will be four or more undefeated Power 5 teams remaining when the selection committee reveals its final ranking on Dec. 4.The 12-member committee already has some tough choices to make when it meets next week in Dallas, and where they rank the one-loss teams will start to reveal just how valid those teams chances are. How much of a shot does Louisville really have? Is there a Power 5 conference out there with two legitimate playoff teams?Heres a rundown of what the top five one-loss contenders are facing, ranked by their current spots in the Associated Press Top 25 poll:No. 5 LouisvilleBiggest roadblock: Nov. 17 at HoustonBest wins:?Florida State, 63-20; NC State, 54-13Path to the playoff: The most direct route for Louisville would be for Clemson to lose Saturday to Florida State, then lose in the ACC championship game. Under that scenario, the selection committee would at least debate whether Louisville is more worthy to be included among the top four -- despite the Tigers win in the head-to-head matchup. Louisville would also have a better shot than a two-loss ACC champ from the leagues weaker division. Of course, Louisville also would have to win out to be deemed unequivocally one of the four best teams in the country.Statistically speaking: ESPNs FPI pegs Louisvilles win probability for each remaining game at 80 percent or more, and favors the Cards on a neutral field against every team in the country except Alabama and Michigan. Louisville leads the nation in offensive efficiency, and Lamar Jackson leads the FBS in Total QBR.Reason for skepticism: Strength of schedule and committee protocol. Louisville has defeated only two teams with records above .500 (5-2 Florida State, 4-3 NC State) and only one ranked opponent (FSU). In addition to strength of schedule, the committee is also directed to use conference championships won and head-to-head results as tiebreakers when evaluating comparable teams. Louisville doesnt stack up, which means it has to find other ways to impress the committee.Can the ACC get two teams in? Yes. The best-case scenario here would be for Clemson to go undefeated, and to have at least another Power 5 conference champion stumble -- most likely Washington, Baylor or West Virginia. Then Louisville would be compared against other one-loss teams instead of trying to unseat an undefeated league champ.No. 6 Ohio StateBiggest roadblock: Nov. 26 vs. MichiganBest wins: at Oklahoma, 45-24; at Wisconsin, 30-23 OTPath to the playoff: The Buckeyes have to win out, including their regular-season finale against Michigan, to win the East and then win the Big Ten championship game.Statistically speaking: According to ESPNs Football Power Index, the Buckeyes have a 70 percent chance to enter their matchup with Michigan without another loss. Then they have a 44 percent chance to beat the Wolverines, and with a win, would be at least a 75 percent favorite against any team from the West in a Big Ten championship game.Reason for skepticism: The Buckeyes lost to what was an unranked Penn State team that Michigan drubbed 49-10, albeit in Ann Arbor. Its a different scenario than what Louisville is facing, as the Cards lone loss was a close one on the road to Clemson, one of the nations top teams. Another cause for concern is how the offense struggled up front against the Nittany Lions, who sacked J.T. Barrett six times.Can the Big Ten get two teams in? Possibly, but it doesnt appear to be in as good of a position as the ACC now that Ohio State lost. If Michigan loses a nail-biter in Columbus, though, each could be considered a top-four team.No. 9 Texas A&MBiggest roadblock: Nov. 24 vs. LSUBest wins: Sept. 17 at Auburn, 29-16; Sept. 24 vs. Arkansas, 45-24; Oct. 8 vs. Tennessee, 45-38 (2OT)Path to the playoff: In order to win the West and play in the SEC chhampionship game, the Aggies now have to win out and they need Alabama to lose twice in their final four games, which isnt impossible but appears improbable.ddddddddddddNick Sabans crew has at least a 64 percent chance to win each of its remaining games, according to the FPI, but it still has to travel to LSU on Nov. 5 and end the season with a rapidly improving Auburn team in the Iron Bowl. In order to get to the playoff, Texas A&M needs to finish the season in flawless fashion and hope the committee holds the entire SEC in high regard.Statistically speaking: The Aggies are No. 3 in ESPNs strength of record metric, which means an average Top 25 team would have an 11 percent chance of achieving the same 6-1 record. They trail only Alabama and Clemson in that category.Reason for skepticism: It was close for a while against Alabama, but it wasnt competitive in the end. After being outscored 20-7 in the second half, Texas A&M showed the gap that still exists between Alabama and everyone else in the West.Can the SEC get two teams in? Yes, but it wont be easy. If the Aggies run the table in convincing fashion, with their lone loss on the road to the defending national champs, they would at least enter the committees debate. They would probably need another conference champion to stumble along the way, though.No. 14 FloridaBiggest roadblock: Nov. 19 at LSUBest win:?Still waiting ...Path to the playoff: Perfection. The Gators have to win out, including an upset of Alabama in the SEC championship game. The good news for Florida is Tennessee has lost twice, so the Gators will win the East if they win out in spite of the head-to-head loss to the Vols. If Florida can miraculously win the SEC, theres no question it would be in the top four.Statistically speaking: The odds of Florida winning the SEC are just 6 percent, according to ESPNs FPI. Because of the postponed LSU game, the Gators now end the season with back-to-back road trips to LSU and Florida State. They also still have a tough road game at Arkansas on Nov. 5. One more league loss, and Tennessee -- with a much easier remaining schedule -- wins the East.Reason for skepticism: The aforementioned schedule. You see the best win category? Its at Vandy. You see what lies ahead? Nuff said. The Gators lost the game that mattered the most to this point, and they havent beaten any ranked opponents, and Kentucky is the only FBS team theyve played with a record over .500.Can the SEC get two teams in? Yes, in a different scenario. What if the Gators win out and upset Bama in the SEC title game? Theres a chance for the East and the West to get into the top four.?No. 17 UtahBiggest roadblock: Saturday vs. WashingtonBest wins to date: Oct. 22 at UCLA, 52-45; Sept. 23 vs. USC, 31-27Path to the playoff: On a wing and a prayer. The first challenge is to win the South, which could come down to the regular-season finale -- a road trip to surging Colorado. If Utah survives both Washington and Colorado, it would then likely have to beat Washington a second time in the Pac-12 title game. (Washington would still win the North with a loss at Utah, as long as it wins out.) If Utah pulled that off, it would be impressive enough that it would definitely be considered by the committee for the top four.Statistically speaking: ESPNs FPI favors both Washington and Colorado against Utah, but the Utes have won close games because of their opportunistic defense (which leads the nation with 22 takeaways) and the return of running back Joe Williams. In two games since he returned to the team, Williams has rushed for 511 yards, and he had four touchdowns against UCLA on Saturday.Reason for skepticism: Strength of schedule. In addition to a win against a 3-4 FCS team, Utah has just one win against a Power 5 opponent with a record above .500 -- 4-3 USC. They have yet to beat a ranked opponent, let alone play one.Can the Pac-12 get two teams in? Nope. It might not even get one. ' ' '