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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. Swell Canada Sale . Listen to the game live on TSN Radio 1050 at 7pm et. The Raptors traded Rudy Gay, Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray to the Sacramento Kings on Monday, in exchange for Greivis Vasquez, John Salmons, Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hayes. Swell Water Bottle Clearance . It just didnt show when he hit the ice. Berra made 42 saves and Kris Russell scored at 1:32 of overtime, lifting the Calgary Flames to a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday night. http://www.swellbottlesaleclearance.com/swell-water-bottle-wood-wholesale.html . "Trying to breathe," he said with a grin. Bernier stopped 42 of 43 shots on Monday night, including all 22 in a hectic middle frame, his heroic performance propelling the Leafs toward an undue point in their final game before the Christmas break. Swell Bottle Ombre Canada .Y. -- Sabres defenceman Tyler Myers had no intention of changing his hard-hitting style before taking part in a disciplinary hearing for his illegal check to New Jersey forward Dainius Zubrus head. Swell Water Bottle Canada . Burke is expected to miss two to three months after breaking a finger in the teams third preseason game. Tinsley, a 10-year veteran, spent the last two seasons in Utah, where the point guard averaged 3. GREEN BAY, Wis. -- There are plenty of concerns surrounding the Green Bay Packers offense headed into Sundays NFC matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.The Packers rushing attack has been productive, but their backfield has some uncertainty with starter Eddie Lacy and backup James Starks hobbled by injuries.The passing game, usually the teams strength, has sputtered along as quarterback Aaron Rodgers is off to the worst start of his career.Largely because of the passing games struggles, Green Bay enters Week 6 ranked 12th in scoring and 25th in yards.The numbers arent pretty, but coach Mike McCarthy remains confident the offense will improve.Its usually one or two or three plays that can define your overall performance -- or the perception of the performance, McCarthy said on Wednesday.So, were in tune with that. We understand it. This is a process. This is a long year. Weve done some good things throughout our football team, but were well aware of not only why were doing things, but how were doing things and what we need to do to get better.That starts with getting the Rodgers-led passing game back in gear.Rodgers ranks seventh in NFL history in completion rate, but is ranked last this season with a rate of 56.3 percent. Nobody, however, is pushing the panic button.This is the game of football. Hes not going to roll it out there every day and be perfect and be Superman, quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt said on Thursday.I think the standards have been set and he set them. Hes played some fantastic football and he will play fantastic football moving forward. Just right now, were in a little bit of a lull.Rodgers didnt seem worried, either, joking on Wednesday that maybe he shouldnt throw it away as much and take more sacks to boost his completion rate.You know what, Ive got to be more acccurate, and I will, Rodgers said.dddddddddddd Weve got to make the most of the opportunities on 50-50 balls and the balls we should catch and complete.Getting Rodgers and the passing game on track could be critical against the Cowboys because of the uncertainty in the backfield.Lacy had limited participation for a second consecutive day because of an ankle injury that he got in the third quarter against the New York Giants.Lacy, who ranks fifth in the NFL in yards per carry, said he did only individual drills until the medical staff shut him down for the rest of Thursdays practice in hopes of getting him ready for Sunday.Thats what were shooting for, Lacy said. Hopefully, Im able to get out there and play.Added running backs coach Ben Sirmans: You never know until we get to the game, but I think hes going to be fine.Not only is Starks dealing with a knee injury, but hes not with the team. McCarthy said Starks will be out of town until Saturday as he deals with a death in the family. Could Starks even help on Sunday?Well answer those questions once we get to that point, McCarthy said.The only other running back on the team is Don Jackson, an undrafted rookie whos on the practice squad.Game notes The Packers released No. 3 quarterback Joe Callahan, an undrafted rookie from Division III Wesley. A corresponding roster move was not made, but the Packers could use it to bolster their depth at running back or activate defensive tackle Mike Pennel or cornerback Demetri Goodson, who are practicing after serving four-game suspensions. To play on Sunday, they must be activated by 4 p.m. Saturday.---Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '