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. Cheap Air Max 90 Free Shipping . It might not have mattered. While the Dodgers are preparing for the playoffs, the Padres showed their future has promise behind two rookies. Cheap Air Max 90 Wholesale . He was followed closely by David Clarkson, donning red, seconds later. 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BOSTON -- July just keeps getting better in Boston.The Red Sox continued their midsummer surge with another offensive barrage, getting 17 hits and routing the Minnesota Twins 13-2 on Thursday night.After closing out June by losing four of five, the Red Sox are 12-3 in July and standing alone atop the AL East.The month of July has been a very good offensive month as weve kind of gotten past that stretch in June, manager John Farrell said. Just great to see that number of quality at-bats.Mookie Betts homered on the first pitch Boston faced and the Red Sox added home runs by Jackie Bradley Jr. and David Ortiz. Boston has won three straight and nine of 10.The Red Sox managed to outdo their 16-hit total from an 11-7 win against San Francisco on Wednesday night and finished with at least 15 hits for the 15th time this season.Betts, Ortiz and Xander Bogaerts had three hits apiece and Dustin Pedroia went 5 for 5 with two doubles as Boston climbed to a season-best 15 games above .500 (54-39).Steven Wright (12-5) tied his career high with nine strikeouts and held Minnesota to four hits in eight innings. He had just set down the Twins in order in the top of the first when Betts gave Boston a 1-0 lead by driving the first pitch he saw from Tyler Duffey out to left-center for his 19th homer.Wrighty had a quick inning and I figured we might as well ride that momentum going into our first at-bat, Betts said. We were ready to play. Today it was our turn, but tomorrow it could be the opposite.Maybe, but not lately in Boston. The Red Sox have won seven straight at home.The Twins didnt reach base against Bostons knuckleballer until the fifth inning and finished with five hits.My goal is just to go as deep as I can until they tell me Im done. Today I was lucky enough to go eight, Wright said. It makes it easy when the guys score 11 runs or 12 runs, but today was an all-around good day.Wright allowed four hits and Minnesota added a ground-rule double by pinch-hitter Eduardo Escobar in the ninth off reliever Clay Buchholz. The former starter came on to finish the game after Ortiz had capped off Bostons outburst with a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth.It got ugly, Twins manager Paul Molitor said. Weve havent had a game like that in a while.Boston was up 3-0 after getting four hits against Duffey (5-7) in the first. Betts started it with the homer and Pedroia, Bogaerts and Ortiz followed with coonsecutive singles.ddddddddddddTheyre a pretty aggressive team. Theyre confident, Duffey said. When theyre in a groove like that, if you dont make them uncomfortable they can lean on some stuff.Betts hit the first pitch Duffey threw out to left, then led off the third with a single as Boston added three runs and led 6-0. Duffey allowed six runs before being pulled with one out in the third after Bradley doubled for Bostons ninth hit.Max Kepler got Minnesotas first hit, singling with one out in the fifth to start a two-run rally that turned out to be the only offense for the Twins.The Red Sox were up 11-2 in the eighth when Ortiz continued his farewell tour with his 24th homer, a shot deep into the seats in right field.PEDROIA PERFECTPedroia entered Thursday without a four-hit game so far this season, then went 5 for 5 with three singles and two doubles.The thing that you love is when he hits the ball into right field, right-center field. He did it a couple times tonight, Farrell said. Thats when his swing is, I think, most pure. He might argue that. He takes pride in being able to turn on some pitches and pulling the ball.ONE FOR THE SKIPPERThe win was Bostons 300th under Farrell, who managed the Red Sox to the 2013 World Series title in his first season at the helm.It means Ive been fortunate to be in a position with a lot of good players and work with a lot of really quality people, Farrell said.TRAINERS ROOMTwins: OF Bryon Buxton was not in the starting lineup for the Twins as Molitor rested him against Wrights knuckleball. Buxton was 1 for 9 as Minnesota took two of three games against Detroit.Red Sox: Plans to get C/LF Blake Swihart (sprained left ankle) a minor-league rehab stint are on hold because of recurring soreness in his ankle. Swihart has been out since severely spraining the ankle on June 4. Farrell said Swihart started feeling the soreness as he increased the intensity of his workouts.UP NEXTTwins: RHP Kyle Gibson (2-6, 5.12 ERA) gets his 12th start of the season for the Twins. Gibson allowed four runs and 10 hits in six innings last week against Cleveland.Red Sox: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (2-3, 7.18) goes for his second straight win. Rodriguez threw seven strong innings in a win over the Yankees on Saturday, allowing one run and four hits. ' ' '