In her second exclusive column for ESPN, Australian Olympian Emily Seebohm opens up about those who have inspired her as she gets set to race for gold in Rio de Janeiro.Im incredibly lucky to have so much support in my life, and its thanks to all those who are close to me that Im in the position Im in. Without them, thered be no way Id be in Rio chasing gold.To be honest, if I didnt go down the swimming path, Id love to have been a netballer -- I found it really fun in my younger days because its so different. As a team sport, you get to hang out together, and with swimming, its just you.But I do love swimming, and one of my big inspirations is Ian Thorpe. Hes had such an amazing career -- hes won the most Olympic gold medals in Australias history -- but thats not the whole story.Ive heard him speak about the challenges he faced during his career, and I think I know that feeling; starting so young with swimming and basically growing up in front of the camera. Its interesting hearing his take on his career, and from my side, seeing the media take on his life, its almost two completely different stories.Of course, my family is my strongest support network. Mum taught me to swim when I was a little kid; she, as well as dad and two of my brothers, are in Rio, which is great. I love knowing theyre here -- its nice having that support, and you can almost feel that energy coming through.Another major influence on my life is my partner in crime Mitch Larkin [a mens swimmer who is also on the Australian Olympic team]. It is so nice having him with me in Rio because hes a little bit of home while were on the other side of the world. Its so great that we get to share our experiences and we can talk about them with someone who truly gets it.As a couple, we have to make it up as we go along; during the year, were often in different countries and its really hard being away from him as theres not a lot of one-on-one time, so that makes it a challenge. But its really special when we do get to spend time together.Mitch has actually been really helpful because we draw from each other a lot, and its great for our swimming, but we can also get away from the pressure of the sport when we can and we can talk about everything outside of swimming.So what happens if one of us is successful and the other isnt at Rio? Of course, were both extremely competitive, but we both respect each other so much that it wouldnt matter if one of us did better because of the bond we have. Weve spoken about it and we know its a possibility -- weve just got to deal with it if and when we come to it.In saying that, itd be a dream if we both achieved the goals we set out to. Weve both put in enough hard work, so hopefully our dreams do become a reality. Marble Water Bottle Cheap . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race. Swell Wood Bottle Sale . -- Former San Diego Chargers safety Paul Oliver was found dead at his Atlanta-area home Tuesday night, and a medical examiner said Wednesday that the ex-player committed suicide. http://www.swellbottlesaleclearance.com/swell-water-bottle-black-wholesale.html . The 17-year-old native of Marystown, N.L., pulled out of Skate Canada International last month in Saint John, N.B., with the same problem. Real Wood Water Bottle .C. -- Glenn Howard needed an extra end to move into the Masters Grand Slam of Curling final. Swell Bottle Canada . With Parker having a quiet game for once, Nicolas Batum and Boris Diaw provided the scoring as France won its first major basketball title by beating Lithuania 80-66 on Sunday. It was a victory that ended a decade of frustration for Parker and a talented French generation, which lost the final against Spain two years ago and took bronze in 2005. Maybe the Big Ten should have its own playoff.For the second straight week, the College Football Playoff selection committee rankings have a distinct Big Ten feel. Four of the top seven teams in this weeks rankings are from the Big Ten, including No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Michigan, who square off Saturday in Columbus (noon ET, ABC/ESPN App). Wisconsin is No. 6, and Penn State is No. 7.This might be the final calm before the storm, especially with Rivalry Week and so many big matchups looming. In addition to the Michigan-Ohio State showdown, the Washington-Washington State, Oklahoma-Oklahoma State, Clemson-South Carolina and Alabama-Auburn rivalry games will also play key roles in determining who gets into the playoff.Perhaps the big question is this: Can two Big Ten teams make the playoff?If so, it would be the first time in the playoff era that two teams from the same conference made the field.For the Big Ten to crash the playoff party with two teams, its going to need some help. Washington is No. 5 this week. But if the Huskies lose Friday at No. 23 Washington State or against the South winner in the Pac-12 championship game, that could very well eliminate the Pac-12 from playoff contention.The Oklahoma-Oklahoma State winner also remains in the hunt. The Sooners are No. 8 and the Cowboys No. 10 this week. The Bedlam winner will have a channce but probably needs an upset in one of the other conference championship games.ddddddddddddBelieve it or not, Penn State might be the Big Ten team that has the clearest path to the playoff if the Nittany Lions beat Michigan State at home Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) and Ohio State beats Michigan. That would put Penn State, not Ohio State, in the Big Ten championship game against either Wisconsin or No. 16 Nebraska. If the Nittany Lions, who have a head-to-head win over Ohio State (on Oct. 22), win the Big Ten title, the committee might be hard-pressed to go with the Buckeyes over the Nittany Lions in that scenario, even though Ohio State would have one fewer loss.USC, one of the countrys hottest teams, is still outside the top 10 this week at No. 12 and an extreme long shot. The Trojans would probably need chaos to have any chance to make the field. For starters, they would need to win the Pac-12 championship and probably would need Clemson to be upset in the ACC championship game.Keep in mind that the conference championship quotient isnt applied until that final weekend when the titles are decided.Either way, it could get dicey for the committee if it comes down to a choice between Ohio State and Penn State. ' ' '