Ohio State held firm at second in the College Football Playoff rankings, putting the Buckeyes in position to become the first team to be selected to the final four without winning its conference.The second-to-last rankings were released Tuesday night and Alabama was No. 1, followed by Ohio State, Clemson and Washington. The Crimson Tide, Tigers and Huskies all play conference championship games this weekend and presumably would be in good shape to make the playoff if they win. The final rankings and playoff pairings will be released Sunday.Unbeaten Alabama is probably in good shape to make the playoff even if it loses to Florida in the Southeastern Conference title game SaturdayMichigan dropped to five after losing to Ohio State. Wisconsin was sixth and Penn State was seventh. The Badgers and Nittany Lions will play for the Big Ten title in Indianapolis on Saturday.---HUSKIES vs. WOLVERINESAssuming the Buckeyes are a lock, and it looks good for them, and Clemson doesnt get upset by Virginia Tech in the ACC title game, the debate for the committee when it gathers in Texas on Saturday night to watch games and discuss the only rankings that matter will be Pac-12 or Big Ten.Can Michigan, or maybe the Big Ten champion with two losses, edge a Washington team that would finish 12-1 by beating Colorado Friday night in the Pac-12 title game?There is a small separation between these two teams, selection committee chairman Kirby Hocutt said of Michigan and Washington. At one point Hocutt added that the difference between the Wolverines and Huskies was razor thin.It looks like not only does the committee not mind putting one Big Ten team without a conference championship in the playoff, but it is also comfortable with two. Michigan at 10-2 has victories against both Penn State and Wisconsin.PENN STATES PLIGHTA Wisconsin victory in the Big Ten title game would eliminate the controversy. The Badgers lost to Ohio State during the regular seasonPenn State fans, however, are already cranking up the complaints. The Nittany Lions beat Ohio State in October. Add a Big Ten title and Penn State is bound to feel slighted.Conference titles and head-to-head results are essentially used by the committee like tiebreakers when teams are very close. The Buckeyes and Nittany Lions are not in the committees eyes. At least not yet.The selection committee recognizes the head-to-head win, but in this particular case, it hasnt been the distinguishing point in our evaluation of those two teams, he said.SUGAR BOWLAssuming Alabama is in the playoff, the Southeastern Conference sends its next highest ranked team to the Sugar Bowl to face the Big 12 champion, which will be decided when No. 9 Oklahoma and No. 10 Oklahoma State play in Norman on Saturday.No. 14 Auburn is that SEC team right now. Florida is 15th, so a good performance -- even in a loss -- against the Crimson Tide might get the Gators to New Orleans on a two-game losing streak. A Florida loss would leave every SEC team other than Alabama with at least four losses.But the contract with the Sugar says the SEC gets the spot mediocre or not.ORANGE BOWLLouisville beat Florida State by 43 points in September, but the Cardinals have stumbled down the stretch and now the Seminoles are 12th and the Cardinal are 13th.If that order holds -- and there is no reason to think it wont because neither is playing -- and Clemson goes to the playoff as the ACC champion, then Florida State will represent the conference in the Orange Bowl.Hocutt said Florida State has played one of the toughest schedules in the country while Louisville has beaten only one team with a winning record (Florida State). He said the Seminoles are playing better lately.GROUP OF FIVEThe highest-ranked conference champion from outside the Power Five is getting a Cotton Bowl bid and at this point it looks as if it will be No. 17 Western Michigan if the unbeaten Broncos defeat Ohio in the Mid-American Conference championship game Friday night.The next highest ranked Group of Five team is No. 19 Navy (9-2), which will play Temple for the American Athletic Conference championship on Saturday at home.Dont consider WMU a lock. Hocutt said the committee is still concerned about the Broncos weak schedule. But it looks promising for coach P.J. Flecks team.---Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP--More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 Charles Barkley Suns Jersey . Zvonareva, who won the tournament in 2009 and 10, couldnt handle her opponents big groundstrokes in only her third event back after 17 months out with a shoulder injury. 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Barcelona hosts third-division side Cartagena in the return leg of their round-of-32 tie after winning their first meeting 4-1. NORMAN, Okla. -- Baker Mayfield arrived on Oklahomas campus as an unpredictable gunslinger with a chip on his shoulder.Hes still an emotional sparkplug, but he has reined in his play and evolved into one of the most efficient quarterbacks in college football history.Mayfield made his name as an underdog with something to prove. He started his college journey as a walk-on at Texas Tech, then transferred to Oklahoma and became a star. Last season, he finished fourth in Heisman Trophy balloting and led the Sooners to the College Football Playoff.Now, after an even better season, hes bound for New York as a Heisman finalist. Though nobody is slighting him anymore, Mayfields competitive fire has pushed him to new heights. His efficiency rating of 197.8 is the highest in FBS history, ahead of the record of 191.8 set by Russell Wilson in 2011.Ive had a good year, Mayfield said. A lot of that is a credit to my teammates. The way weve practiced and the way weve executed every week, every day, just the way weve worked -- its shown just by our undefeated conference run.Mayfield still likes to have fun. He sported a horseshoe mustache during the Oklahoma State game, saying theres a new sheriff in town as a dig at the rival schools Cowboy mascot. In what amounted to the Big 12 championship game last Saturday, Mayfield wore a shirt under his uniform proclaiming the Sooners the 2016 conference champions during the game.Typical Baker, Oklahoma running back Samaje Perine said. Theres nothing wrong with being confident, and he has all the confidence in the world. He has more confidence than he needs. Its him.When its time to get serious, though, Mayfield is all business.Hes always been coachable, Oklahoma offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley said. A lot of guys have success early. The guys that continue to improve and dont believe all the hype -- they continue to work and continue to have that inner drive. He certainly has that, and thats why hes gotten better and better.Mayfield entered this season among the favorites to win the Heisman, but started relatively slowly, with average performances by his standards in losses to Houston and Ohio State. He came back in conference play and completed 73.5 percent of his passes with 31 touchdowns and just six interceptions for a passer rating of 208.9. He never threw more than nine incomplete passes in any Big 12 game.Riley said Mayfield bounced back by worrying only about competing and doing his best for the team.When you dont look at outside stuff, your situation doesnt matter, Riley said. When youre focused on outside stuff, then youre going to be happy when people love on you and youre going to go into the tank when you lose a game like we did early in tthe year and everybody tells you youre terrible.ddddddddddddMayfield said dealing with the spotlight during his breakout season last year helped him handle the increased scrutiny this season.It happened a little earlier just because of the year I had last year, so Ive been able to just relax and not worry about whatever everybody thinks and just get my guys the ball and let them shine, too, he said.Fellow Heisman finalist Dede Westbrook has been shining most brightly. Last season, Sterling Shepard was Mayfields security blanket, but with Shepard now playing in the NFL for the New York Giants, Mayfield was forced to find a new go-to receiver. Westbrook stepped up with 74 catches for 1,465 yards and 16 touchdowns.He just has a knack for getting open, Mayfield said. When you have a guy like that, especially with his speed, you really cant overthrow him. Its kind of a situation where you see him and hes 1-on-1 coverage, you can literally just throw it deep to him and let him go run under it.Westbrook, also up for numerous major awards, believes Mayfield should win the Heisman.I think Baker is the best quarterback and best player in the country, Westbrook said. There is no doubt about it. Whenever hes out there, its just his mentality and the fact that nobody can stop him and hes going to dominate in every phase of the game that he possibly could.---HEISMAN-DEFINING MOMENT: Oklahoma was coming off a loss to Ohio State and trailed TCU 7-0 early. The Sooners had the ball at the TCU 4-yard line when Mayfield faked to Perine, kept the ball and spun out of a tackle. He overpowered TCUs Niko Small at the goal line and stiff-armed him to the ground in the end zone . The offense has maintained that attitude ever since.BEST GAME: Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes lit up the Sooners for an FBS-record 819 total yards, including 734 passing, but Mayfield was up to the challenge. He completed 27 of 36 passes for 545 yards with seven touchdowns and no interceptions and led the Sooners to a 66-59 win .WORST GAME: Completed 17 of 32 passes for 226 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions in a 45-24 loss to Ohio State .PRO PROSPECTS: Mayfield has said he will return for his senior season , and he will have a chance to boost his NFL stock. He is a bit short at 6-foot-1, but players like Wilson have paved the way for him to get a look.I think hes got a chance to be a great pro, Riley said. What the guy is doing right now and the level hes playing at right now -- not many people ever play at that level.---Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CliffBruntAP . ' ' '