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That big sigh of relief you heard Friday came from the folks charged with deciding whos in and whos out of the College Football Playoff.Thanks to Louisville, theyve got one less team to worry about.Those big cheers you heard? They came from the Big Ten, which suddenly has a much better chance of hoarding half of the four-team playoff field.Louisville, led by Heisman Trophy favorite Lamar Jackson, had been preemptively seething about the possibility of winding up with the short end of the stick after being judged No. 5 in the most recent rankings put out by the selection committee.The Cardinals should have been more concerned with taking care of business on the field.After a dismal performance Thursday night at Houston, theyve got no room to complain.Louisville fumbled away the opening kickoff and was already behind just 11 seconds into the game. It only got worse from there, as the Cardinals trailed 31-0 at halftime on the way to a 36-10 drubbing.We got beat by their offense, we got beat by their defense, we got beat by their special teams, coach Bobby Petrino said. It was just one of those games where you get your butt beat.With Louisville off the board, lets take a look at four teams likely to be playing in the national semifinals on New Years Eve:ALABAMA -- The defending national champions are the only unbeaten team left from the Power Five ranks, and there seems little chance that Nick Sabans squad will stumble between now and selection day. The Crimson Tide (10-0) faces road-kill Chattanooga on Saturday before closing out the regular season against Auburn in the Iron Bowl. Given the way the Tigers were exposed by Georgia, failing to make even one first down in the second half, they have no chance of pulling off a massive upset at Bryant-Denny Stadium. After that, Alabama must go through the motions of the Southeastern Conference championship game against whoever emerges from the Least -- uhh, make that East -- Division. Then, its on the playoff and a shot at the fifth national title of Sabans decade-long tenure in Tuscaloosa.OHIO STATE OR MICHIGAN -- The Big Ten behemoths wont have any trouble this weekend. Michigan is hosting lowly Indiana, while Ohio State travels to Michigan State to take on the three-win Spartans. Then, its on to the Playoff for the Playoff, otherwise known as The Game. Playing at the big horseshoe, Ohio State will be the favorite. Should the Buckeyes win, they might even get to avoid the potential stumbling block of the Big Ten championship game. That honor would go to Penn State, assuming the Nittany Lions win their final two games to claim the tiebreaker by virtue of a stunning 24-21 win over Ohio State last month. No matter who plays for the Big Ten title, the Michigan-Ohio State winner is headed for the playoff.CLEMSON -- The Tigers, who were runners-up to Alabama last season and figured to be the Crimson Tides strongest challenger again, stumbled badly with a home loss to Pittsburgh. Still, Clemson (9-1) can lock up its spot by closing the regular season with wins over improving Wake Forest and rival South Carolina, before taking out someone from the weak side of the Atlantic Coast Conference in the leagues championship game. The Tigers resume is a bit lacking now that Louisvilles second loss takes some of the luster off their best win. But the selection committee would surely go with Deshaun Watson & Co. at 12-1, especially if the alternative was taking a couple of two-loss teams.A SECOND BIG TEN TEAM -- If Penn State and Wisconsin both win out, and Ohio State beats Michigan, the winner of the Big Ten title will be in prime position to claim the final playoff spot. What about Washington? Yes, the Huskies (9-1) are still very much in the running, even after an ugly home loss last weekend, but its hard to see them winning out. They close the regular season with a very challenging road game against on-the-rise rival Washington State (8-2). Even if they get past that, theres still the Pac-12 championship game and a possible rematch against Southern Cal, the team that just beat up Washington 26-13. Another possibility is a two-loss Oklahoma team, should it win the largely overlooked Big 12. At this point, though, the Sooners are merely a backup option should someone falter.No matter what, the committee doesnt have to worry about Louisville mucking things up.We blew it, Petrino said bluntly.With that, the playoff picture got a whole lot clearer.---Paul Newberry is a sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at pnewberry(at)ap.org or at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberr .---For more college football coverage: www.collegefootball.ap.org Discount Running Shoes Sale . Tevez, who has had conflicts with coaches in the past, has not been called up since Sabella was named coach in 2011. Argentina boasts Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Sergio Aguero, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Angel Di Maria. Nike Running Shoes Cheap . Thousands of Southern California fans enveloped the Trojans to celebrate an improbable win secured by an interim coach, an inconsistent kicker and a thin defence that wouldnt break. http://www.cheaprunningshoes.us/ . Miikka Kiprusoff had just announced his retirement after a decade-long run in Calgary and it would be up to Berra and Ramo to fill the void. Cheap Running Shoes China . At a news conference Tuesday where it was thought that the fiery Schallibaum may be shown the door after a dismal finish to the Major League Soccer season, team president Joey Saputo said no decision has been made on whether the Swiss Volcano will be back in 2014. Clearance Running Shoes Online .J. -- Josh Cribbs was in the Pro Bowl in February and out of a job six months later. MINNEAPOLIS -- Walter Bush, the former USA Hockey president and primary founder of the Minnesota North Stars, died Thursday. He was 86.USA Hockey confirmed Bushs death, saying: Hockey mourns tonight the passing of USA Hockeys Walter Bush, a pioneer in the game and one of the most beloved figures in the sport.The Minneapolis native was enshrined into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 1980, the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2000, and the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2009. Awarded the Olympic Order in 2002, he managed the 1959 U.S. national team and 1964 U.S. Olympic team, serving on the U.S. Olympic Committee in 1963.Bush was selected the NHLs Executive of the Year in 1972 by The Hockey News, and won the Lester Patrick Trophy in 1973 for his contributions to the sport in the United States. As USA Hockey president, Bush played a large role in the addition of womens hockey to the Olympics in 1998.Walter Bush was a formidable presence at all levels of the hockey world, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. Walter made important and lasting contributions to the sport. His impact was felt, nationally and internationally, in the professionall and the amateur ranks, in womens hockey as well as mens.dddddddddddd He helped launch the Minnesota North Stars, helped found the Central Hockey League, worked tirelessly to get womens hockey into the Olympics and properly earned global respect for his devotion to the growth of hockey everywhere.Most important, Walter was a wonderful man -- loved and respected and a delight to be with. The NHL family sends thoughts of condolence and comfort to Walters family and many friends.Bush played high school hockey at Breck School and was a hockey and football player in college at Dartmouth. While working on his law degree at the University of Minnesota, he helped start the Central Hockey League in 1955. He served as leagues commissioner for three seasons and, at one point, owned, managed and coached the Minneapolis Bruins.With the North Stars, Bush directed the merger with the Cleveland Barons in 1978. The Stars franchise now plays in Dallas.Bush also owned the American Hockey Leagues Kentucky Thoroughblades. ' ' '