action. That means Domingue will shoulder the brunt of the loa

Washington moved into fourth in the College Football Playoff rankings, putting the four remaining unbeaten teams from the Power Five conferences at the top of the selection committees second top 25.Alabama, Clemson and Michigan still hold the top three spots.The committees first ranking of the season caused a bit of a stir because the unbeaten Huskies were behind Texas A&M last week. The Aggies then went out and lost at Mississippi State to clear up the mini-controversy.Ohio State is behind Washington at fifth.It was a small margin between No. 4 and No. 5, committee chairman Kirby Hocutt said.Hocutt, who is the athletic director at Texas Tech, said last week that A&M was ahead of Washington because of the Aggies superior schedule strength. That left open the possibility that Ohio State would jump the Huskies for the same reason after the Buckeyes pounded Nebraska on Saturday.Hocutt said a big difference was A&Ms only loss was to Alabama whereas Ohio States one loss was to 10th-ranked Penn State.But more than anything its the consistency that weve seen week in and week out with Washington, Hocutt said.The Buckeyes are still in fine shape. Ohio State plays Michigan on Nov. 26 in a game that could decide the Big Tens East division.Louisville moved up a spot to sixth, followed by Wisconsin at seven and Texas A&M at eight and Auburn at nine.CHAOS THEORYIf chaos is what you crave down the stretch of the college football season, these last few weeks are set to leave you feeling less than satisfied.For sure, none of the teams in the latest top four are safe. Weird stuff happens. What mitigates the chances for real chaos is the firewall the top three teams, and to some extent Washington, has created. Alabama (vs. Mississippi State), Clemson (vs. Pitt) and Michigan (at Iowa) could all lose this weekend and still they would be fine to reach the final four if they win out and become conference champions. Washington would likely be in more trouble than the rest with a loss to Southern California on Saturday, but far from out.The potential for chaos is also limited by the teams lurking behind No. 6 Louisville (8-1). All nine teams ranked from seven to 15 have already lost twice. There was only one 7-2 in the committees top 15 at this point last season.For years, the folks who supported and fought for preserving the BCS beat to death one particular point: A playoff would devalue the regular season. Well, they were right, but thats not such a bad thing. The pressure that comes with a system that is so unforgiving takes some of the drama out of late-season games, but the trade-off makes up for it. More teams are in the mix and more games matter. Losses are not quite so catastrophic, but they do create new possibilities and heighten tension.And, of course, in the end the playoff produces a truer champion.THE FIELDFour of these nine teams will almost certainly make the College Football Playoff: Alabama, Clemson, Michigan, Washington, Ohio State, Louisville, Wisconsin, Auburn and No. 16 West Virginia. Heres where they stand.TOTAL CONTROLAlabamaClemsonMichiganWashingtonOhio StateAuburnWin out, get in the playoff. Simple. Barring a significant upset in the next couple weeks Alabama-Auburn and Michigan-Ohio State on Nov. 26 might as well be early round playoff games.SOME CONTROLWisconsinWest VirginiaThe Badgers and Mountaineers would be very much in the mix if they win out and win their conferences, but would still need some help.NO CONTROLLouisvilleWith the Cardinals chance to win the Atlantic Coast Conference at slim to none, the best Louisville can do is win out and hope the upsets start piling up.SORT OF STILL IN ITPenn StateNo. 12 ColoradoNo. 14 UtahNo. 23 Washington StateUnranked FloridaThe Nittany Lions need two losses from Michigan to reach the Big Ten championship game, but they do hold the tiebreaker on Ohio State. The Utes, Buffaloes and Cougars could all still win the Pac-12 at 11-2, which at least gets them a look if there are conference championship game upsets.Dont laugh at the Gators. If Florida wins out it would be 10-2 with victories against LSU, Florida State and maybe Alabama to win the SEC championship. OK, yeah, you can laugh a little.THE REST OF THE BIG 12No. 11 Oklahoma and No. 13 Oklahoma State both have two losses and could win the Big 12, but there is no reason to think the Big 12 is getting a two-loss team in the playoff without some madness down the stretch.---Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP Custom Montreal Canadiens Jerseys . Sulaiman, 44, was chosen unanimously Tuesday in a vote by the leadership, the World Boxing Council said. Sulaiman becomes the sixth president of the organization. Custom Ottawa Senators Jerseys .C. -- Al Jefferson joked that he feels he can score from anywhere on the court. http://www.customjerseyshockey.com/ . To the surprise of many, it isnt the Wolverines but their in-state rivals the Michigan State Spartans. Clearance Custom Hockey Jerseys . -- Catcher Brett Hayes has agreed to a $630,000, one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals, avoiding salary arbitration. Custom Toronto Maple Leafs Jerseys . -- Charline Labonte couldnt have asked for a better homecoming. GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Neither Arizona Coyotes coach Dave Tippett nor Nashville Predators coach Peter Laviolette are willing to pin their teams early-season struggles entirely on goaltending. There are myriad issues facing each team as they muddle through sluggish starts.That said, Tippett noted that his teams win over San Jose on Tuesday marked the first game this season in which a Coyotes goalie had posted a save percentage above the league average.A save here or there would make a big difference in how were looking at things right now, said Tippett, who got a career-high 39 saves from backup Louis Domingue against the Sharks. It can clean up a lot of other mistakes.The Coyotes at least have a fair excuse in net. Starter Mike Smith has been out since suffering a left leg injury in the second game of the season at Ottawa that still has him listed as week-to-week. That has forced Domingue and third-string goalie Justin Peters to fill in.For Nashville, the goaltending struggles have come down to a once-elite player underperforming. Entering Thursdays game against the Coyotes at Gila River Arena, Predators goalie Pekka Rinne (2-4-1) is tied for 22nd in NHL save percentage at .914 and owns a 2.88 goals-against average, which ranks 31st.Its a team sport. But, inside a team sport, its an individual position, Rinne told the Tennessean on Thursday. Every single goal you give up matters and it shows in your statistics, so its easy to look at those statistics and let that show you how youre playing.Ive learned not to look at those numbers. Eventually, if you keep doing the right thing, playing well and working hard, those things are going to take care of (themselves).Rinnes season has been a story of inconsistency. He has posted a save percentage at or above .917 four times. In the three other games, his nnumbers were .dddddddddddd905, .765 and .885. He stopped 28 of 29 shots in a 5-1 win at Colorado on Tuesday -- a performance the Predators hope will spark a good run.We need and he needs to be part of the solution to get us out of this, GM David Poile told the Tennessean. Higher save percentage, the save at the right time. Do I think hes playing good? Yes, I do. Do I think he can play better? We need him to play better, just like the same thing Id say with the forwards and defensemen. Everybodys got to take their game up a notch.For the Coyotes, Smith skated for the first time in equipment on Wednesday, but he is still at least a week away from returning to game action. That means Domingue will shoulder the brunt of the load, including Thursdays game. Domingue has been plagued by soft goals this season, but he is hoping Tuesdays performance against the Sharks will get him back to the form he displayed last season when Smith missed three months for surgery on a core muscle.I was feeling good, but Ive been feeling good almost all year, Domingue said. It was just a matter of being focused for 60 minutes and getting the job done.Tippett said Wednesday that center Martin Hanzal was going for more tests after leaving Tuesdays game with an upper-body injury. He is questionable for the Predators game. Left winger Tobias Rieder (left leg) is probable after leaving Tuesdays game following a shot block. Defenseman Michael Stone (upper body) will miss his third straight game and sixth of the season.For the Predators, center Mike Fisher (upper body) is day-to-day and could play, while left winger Miikka Salomaki (upper body) and defenseman Anthony Bitetto (upper body) are out. ' ' '