Mixlr Six - Edition #2

The first set of College Football Playoff Rankings are set to be revealed tomorrow night, but of course before that happens here is the obviously equally important Mixlr Six Rankings. No change with the top two, but plenty of change below those two SEC powers. In my opinion, the biggest questions heading into tomorrow night will be, where is Notre Dame slotted? What about undefeated Wisconsin with their weak schedule? And maybe the most intriguing question will be, where is TCU and Oklahoma? All of a sudden, Oklahoma’s lone loss to Iowa State doesn’t look bad at all after Iowa State’s victory over TCU. So with a somewhat “good” loss, plus a great win at Ohio State, how does the committee rank Oklahoma? Same goes for TCU. Their lone loss is now also to Iowa State, and they also have one of the season’s best wins, at Oklahoma State. So maybe, just maybe, the demise of the Big 12’s Playoffs hopes were just a little over-exaggerated. Well, that’s the questions about the Playoff committee. Wondering about what our committee thinks? The answers are finally here!

1. Alabama

·        Record: 8-0 (5-0 SEC)

·        Last Game: 45-7 win vs. Tennessee

·        AP Ranking: #1

·        Carter Floyd: #1

·        Pierre Moss: #1

·        Dan Vasta: #2

·        Seth Eaves: #1

·        Matthew Owens: #2

·        Next Game: vs. LSU this Saturday (8pm, USRN)

2. Georgia

·        Record: 8-0 (5-0 SEC)

·        Last Game: 42-7 win vs. Florida

·        AP Ranking: #2

·        Carter Floyd: #2

·        Pierre Moss: #2

·        Dan Vasta: #1

·        Seth Eaves: #2

·        Matthew Owens: #1

·        Next Game: vs. South Carolina this Saturday (3:30pm, CBS)

3. Notre Dame

·        Record: 7-1 (Independent)

·        Last Game: 35-14 win vs. North Carolina State

·        AP Ranking: #5

·        Carter Floyd: #3

·        Pierre Moss: #5

·        Dan Vasta: #3

·        Seth Eaves: #3

·        Matthew Owens: #3

·        Next Game: vs. Wake Forest this Saturday (3:30pm, NBC)

4. Clemson

·        Record: 7-1 (5-1 ACC)

·        AP Ranking: #6

·        Carter Floyd: #5

·        Pierre Moss: #3

·        Dan Vasta: #5

·        Seth Eaves: #4

·        Matthew Owens: N/A

·        Next Game: @ North Carolina State this Saturday (3:30, ABC)

5. Ohio State

·        Record: 7-1 (4-1 Big Ten)

·        AP Ranking: #3

·        Carter Floyd: #4

·        Pierre Moss: #4

·        Dan Vasta: #4

·        Seth Eaves: #6

·        Matthew Owens: #4

·        Next Game: @ Iowa this Saturday (3:30, ESPN)

6. Wisconsin

·        Record: 8-0 (5-0 Big Ten)

·        AP Ranking: #4

·        Carter Floyd: #6

·        Pierre Moss: N/A

·        Dan Vasta: N/A

·        Seth Eaves: #5

·        Matthew Owens: #5

·        Next Game: @ Indiana this Saturday (12:00, ABC)

Carter Floyd:

1.   Alabama

2.   Georgia

3.   Notre Dame

4.   Ohio State

5.   Clemson

6.   Wisconsin

Pierre Moss:

1.   Alabama

2.   Georgia

3.   Clemson

4.   Ohio State

5.   Notre Dame

6.   Penn State

Dan Vasta:

1.   Georgia

2.   Alabama

3.   Notre Dame

4.   Ohio State

5.   Clemson

6.   Penn State

Seth Eaves:

1.   Alabama

2.   Georgia

3.   Notre Dame

4.   Clemson

5.   Wisconsin

6.   Ohio State

Matthew Owens:

1.   Georgia

2.   Alabama

3.   Notre Dame

4.   Ohio State

5.   Wisconsin

6.   Penn State

Monday Midday: Quick preview of Newcastle-Burnley; Michigan's Peters 'likely' to start vs. Minnesota

The week's Premier League slate concludes on Monday as Burnley host Newcastle United at Turf Moor.

The Clarets (3-4-2) have made their bones this season largely by staying in close games as most of their Premier League fixtures have not seen more than two goals scored between both sides. The only exceptions are a 3-2 win over Chelsea to start the season and last week's 3-0 thrashing at the hands of Manchester City.

Burnley were outclassed from the start against City as the Citizens dominated the ball, keeping more than 70 percent of possession while holding Burnley without a shot on target.

Newcastle find themselves one point ahead of Burnley and seeking their second straight Premier League win after last week's narrow 1-0 result over Crystal Palace at home. The Tynesiders are 1-2-0 in the last three.

The Clarets are 1-3-1 over all competitions this season on home soil.

NHL UNVEILS 'THREE STARS OF THE WEEK'

New York Islanders center John Tavares, Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Oscar Dansk and Ottawa Senators center Jean-Gabriel Pageau have been named the NHL's "Three Stars" for the week ending Oct. 29.

Tavares led the NHL with 6-1-7, including a pair of hat tricks, to power the Islanders (6-4-1, 13 points) to two wins in three starts. He posted 3-1-4, including the decisive goal and his 10th career four-point performance, in a 5-3 triumph over the Arizona Coyotes Oct. 24. After being held off the scoresheet in a 6-4 loss to the Minnesota Wild Oct. 26, Tavares added his eighth career hat trick in a 6-2 victory against the Nashville Predators Oct. 28. In doing so, he became the third player in Islanders history to record two hat tricks within a span of three team games - and the first to accomplish the feat since March 3-5, 1996 (Ziggy Palffy). The 27-year-old Mississauga, Ont., native ranks third in the NHL with nine goals in 11 outings this season, pacing the Islanders with 13 points overall.

Dansk went 2-0-0 with a 1.00 goals-against average, .968 save percentage and one shutout to lead the Golden Knights (8-1-0, 16 points) to a perfect week, continuing the best start by an expansion team in NHL history. He made 29 saves in a 4-2 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks Oct. 24. Dansk then stopped all 32 shots he faced to earn the first shutout in Golden Knights history in a 7-0 triumph over the Colorado Avalanche Oct. 27. The 23-year-old Stockholm, Sweden, native - who made his NHL debut Oct. 21 - is 3-0-0 with a 1.34 goals-against average, .959 save percentage and one shutout through his first three career appearances.

Pageau collected 1-5-6 as the Senators (5-1-5, 15 points) went 1-0-2 to extend their point streak to five games (2-0-3). He registered one assist in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Los Angeles Kings Oct. 24, followed by 1-2-3 (his fifth career three-point outing) in a 5-4 win over the Philadelphia Flyers Oct. 26. Pageau capped the week with two more helpers in a 5-4 shootout loss to the New Jersey Devils Oct. 27. The 24-year-old Ottawa native ranks fifth on the Senators with 1-7-8 in 11 contests this season.

HURRICANES SEND F KUOKKANEN TO AHL

The Carolina Hurricanes assigned forward Janne Kuokkanen to the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League on Monday.

Kuokkanen, 19, played in four games with the Hurricanes this season and made his NHL debut on Oct. 7 against Minnesota. He has six shots on goal and is averaging 11:04 time on ice in four games for Carolina.

The Oulunsalo, Finland, native recorded 62 points (26 goals, 36 assists) in 60 games with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League last season and made his pro debut in Game 3 of Charlotte's first-round Calder Cup playoff series.

The 6-1, 188-pound Kuokkanen was drafted by the Hurricanes in the second round (43rd overall) of the 2016 NHL draft.

MICHIGAN QB PETERS 'LIKELY' TO START AGAINST MINNESOTA

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh isn't usually forthcoming about personnel decisions, but he said Monday that redshirt freshman quarterback Brandon Peters is "likely" to make his first start Saturday.

The Wolverines (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten) host Minnesota (4-4, 1-4).

Peters entered in the second quarter, replacing struggling John O'Korn last Saturday against Rutgers. Peters immediately led three consecutive touchdown drives in a 35-14 victory, finishing 10 of 14 for 124 yards, with one touchdown and no interceptions.

"We're going in the way we have -- preparing both quarterbacks," Harbaugh said at his weekly press conference. "Not naming a starter today. We'll see how the week progresses. Our system is a meritocracy. The best players play."

Harbaugh said that Peters will play either way, adding that the "51 percent would be on the side of him starting."

"He can do a lot to build on," Harbaugh said. "Now, he's been in game action, so I think that helps a lot."

Peters' only other action was in a mop-up role in a 28-10 win over Purdue on Sept. 23, when he did nothing but hand off. Starting quarterback Wilton Speight suffered a back injury in that game and is not expected to return this season.

Kyle Busch to race for title after Martinsville victory

By JENNA FRYER
Associated Press

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP) — There should be no confusion about the intensity of NASCAR's playoffs after Sunday's show at Martinsville Speedway.

Chase Elliott could have won, same for Brad Keselowski, and Denny Hamlin, too.

It was Kyle Busch, though, who punched his ticket into NASCAR's championship race with a victory in overtime of a race that turned wild very, very quickly and ended with a multicar accident after Busch took the checkered flag.

Busch moved Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Hamlin out of his way to earn a spot in next month's championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the third consecutive year. He won the series title in 2015.

"We weren't the best all day, but we put ourselves in the right spots there at the end," Busch said. "There was kind of chaos ensuing and none of it was our fault, we just came out on the right end of the stick."

Keselowski was in position to win when Joey Logano developed a tire problem with about 10 laps remaining in regulation. Had his Team Penske teammate pitted under green to fix the tire, Keselowski likely would have coasted to the win and earned the spot in the finale.

Instead, Logano spun and brought out a caution.

Keselowski was moved out of the way by Elliott after a restart, and Hamlin then spun Elliott out of the lead with two laps remaining in regulation. Elliott wrecked, chased Hamlin down on the cool-down lap to show his displeasure, and the drivers had a heated exchange after they climbed from their cars.

It was a tough result for Elliott — from potential race winner to 27th, lowest of the eight remaining playoff drivers.

"My mom always said if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all," Elliott said. "He's not worth my time. I got punted from behind and wrecked in Turn 3 leading the race. I don't know what his problem was. It was unnecessary and I hadn't raced him dirty all day long.

"We had the best car I've ever had here at Martinsville, and had an opportunity to go straight to Homestead and because of him we don't."

Elliott could repeatedly be seen saying 'You wrecked me,' to Hamlin as the crowd roared its approval over the tension. Hamlin at first defended his actions because of the stakes, but later apologized to Elliott on social media.

"I've raced nearly 10,000 races since I was 7. Today was the first time I ever spun out the leader," Hamlin wrote on Twitter. "I regret the outcome because it was not intentional the way it turned out but I am responsible for my own car and take blame. Nothing I say now can turn back the clock."

Hamlin faded to seventh after Busch bumped him for the win.

"That was our chance to move to Homestead," Busch shrugged.

Keselowski wound up fourth in a race his team believed he had to win.

Instead, he was simply darting his way around a huge pileup on the final lap that ended an emotional opening race of the third round of the playoffs.

"Yeah, everybody is just desperate," Keselowski said.

Martin Truex Jr. wound up second in a 1-2 sweep for Toyota, which has won six of the seven playoff races. Truex and Busch have won three playoff races each, while Keselowski won in the second round.

The favorite to win the title, Truex said he is confident enough he will make it to next month's finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway without having to bump Busch out of his way to grab the automatic berth.

"I don't know that I would have done anything differently," Truex said. "I think we can get to Homestead without making too many enemies. We'll let everybody else fight and we'll try to do our own thing."

Clint Bowyer, not eligible for the playoffs, finished third.

Kevin Harvick was fifth in a Ford, Ryan Blaney eighth for the Wood Brothers of nearby Stuart, Virginia, and the manufacturer placed six drivers in the top 10.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was the highest-finishing Chevrolet driver in 11th and was dumbfounded by the last-lap chaos.

"Man, I can't believe how everybody crossed the finish line. I ain't seen nothing like that, I ain't seen it, I don't know if I ever have seen it," Earnhardt said. "There was a wreck one time at Richmond before they ever reconfigured it in the Xfinity race on the front straightaway in like 1982 — that is the only thing I ever seen like it. Crazy finish."

Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson finished 12th.

That was a near victory for Johnson, who spun in Sunday morning qualifying and needed to make repairs to his Chevrolet that forced him to start last. A nine-time Martinsville winner, he used this race last year to vault him toward his record-tying seventh championship.

At one point late in Sunday's race, Johnson was put a lap down by Hendrick Motorsports teammate Elliott.

"We were just terrible all day," Johnson said. "Oh, what a bummer. We had high hopes for this weekend."

WOMP, WOMP

Kyle Larson had been considered a strong championship contender until his engine blew in last week's elimination race at Kansas. Now out of the playoffs, he wasn't competitive Sunday, crashed and finished 37th.

"Another Martinsville for us. I've got to figure out how to get around this place," Larson said. He has one career top-10 finish at the track.

SQUEEZED SCHEDULE

NASCAR experimented with a condensed two-day show at Martinsville, where qualifying was held a little more than three hours before the start of the race. Although roughly two hours of practice time was lost by dumping the third on-track day, fans did get an autograph session and Fan Fest after Saturday's two practice sessions.

LIGHTS

The long race day gave Martinsville the opportunity to make the NASCAR debut of its new $5 million LED lighting system.

NASCAR's oldest track completed the project in February and used it once, last month in a lower-level event. Because of Sunday's late afternoon start time, the lights — enough to brighten eight football fields with one of 15 different lighting scenes — were flipped on roughly two hours into the race.

"Why we don't race at night is beyond me here," Bowyer said. "We should definitely utilize those lights for something other than (overtime) because it's pretty damned cool under the lights."

UP NEXT

The middle race of this playoff round, Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway. Carl Edwards is the defending race winner, but now retired. Johnson won at Texas in the spring.

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More AP Auto Racing: http://racing.ap.org/

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Follow JENNA FRYER on Twitter @JennaFryer

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Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race - First Data 500

Martinsville Speedway

Martinsville, Virginia

Sunday, October 29, 2017

                  1. (14) Kyle Busch (P), Toyota, 505.
                  2. (2) Martin Truex Jr. (P), Toyota, 505.
                  3. (5) Clint Bowyer, Ford, 505.
                  4. (7) Brad Keselowski (P), Ford, 505.
                  5. (13) Kevin Harvick (P), Ford, 505.
                  6. (34) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 505.
                  7. (6) Denny Hamlin (P), Toyota, 505.
                  8. (4) Ryan Blaney (P), Ford, 505.
                  9. (17) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 505.
                  10. (22) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 505.
                  11. (21) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 505.
                  12. (24) Jimmie Johnson (P), Chevrolet, 505.
                  13. (25) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 505.
                  14. (18) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 505.
                  15. (15) Daniel Suarez #, Toyota, 505.
                  16. (12) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 505.
                  17. (23) Danica Patrick, Ford, 505.
                  18. (10) Aric Almirola, Ford, 505.
                  19. (20) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 505.
                  20. (19) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 505.
                  21. (29) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, 505.
                  22. (11) Kurt Busch, Ford, 505.
                  23. (33) Landon Cassill, Ford, 505.
                  24. (1) Joey Logano, Ford, 504.
                  25. (30) Cole Whitt, Chevrolet, 504.
                  26. (8) Erik Jones #, Toyota, 504.
                  27. (3) Chase Elliott (P), Chevrolet, 504.
                  28. (31) David Ragan, Ford, 503.
                  29. (16) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 503.
                  30. (26) Ty Dillon #, Chevrolet, 501.
                  31. (35) * Gray Gaulding #, Toyota, 501.
                  32. (32) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, 500.
                  33. (36) Corey LaJoie #, Toyota, 500.
                  34. (40) * Hermie Sadler, Chevrolet, 494.
                  35. (38) * Kyle Weatherman, Chevrolet, 488.
                  36. (39) * Carl Long(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 444.
                  37. (9) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, Accident, 300.
                  38. (37) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, Rear Gear, 274.
                  39. (28) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, Electrical, 187.
                  40. (27) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, Accident, 94.

Average Speed of Race Winner:  74.902 mph.
Time of Race:  3 Hrs, 32 Mins, 47 Secs. Margin of Victory:  0.141 Seconds.
Caution Flags:  11 for 74 laps.
Lead Changes:  16 among 6 drivers.
Lap Leaders:   J. Logano 1-48; B. Keselowski (P) 49-78; J. Logano 79-89; J. Johnson (P) 90-113; B. Keselowski (P) 114-134; K. Busch (P) 135-257; B. Keselowski (P) 258-265; K. Busch (P) 266-324; C. Elliott (P) 325-362; B. Keselowski (P) 363-385; C. Elliott (P) 386-458; K. Busch (P) 459; C. Elliott (P) 460-470; B. Keselowski (P) 471-496; C. Elliott (P) 497; D. Hamlin (P) 498-504; K. Busch (P) 505;.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  K. Busch (P) 4 times for 184 laps; C. Elliott (P) 4 times for 123 laps; B. Keselowski (P) 5 times for 108 laps; J. Logano 2 times for 59 laps; J. Johnson (P) 1 time for 24 laps; D. Hamlin (P) 1 time for 7 laps.
Stage #1 Top Ten: 2,18,22,48,78,24,21,5,3,11
Stage #2 Top Ten: 2,18,22,78,24,21,4,20,14,48 

Gragson wins 1st Truck Series race with Martinsville victory

Associated Press

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP) — Noah Gragson celebrated his first Truck Series victory by impersonating Helio Castroneves and climbing the fence at Martinsville Speedway.

Then he took it a step further and did pullups while dangling from the fence.

It was a bit too much for the 19-year-old.

He vomited over the side of the racetrack wall after his climb.

That wasn't Gragson's only gaffe. He referred to Martinsville's signature grandfather clock trophy as a "granddaddy watch," then struggled later to discuss the historic piece.

"What the hell do you do with that thing, honestly? They don't teach kids anymore how to tell time like that," he said.

Gragson, who is from Las Vegas, won for Kyle Busch Motorsports. Busch, who also is from Las Vegas, uses that team to groom young talent.

That youthfulness was on full display as Gragson recalled how he started in racing.

"I was playing 'NASCAR Inside Line' the video game, around this place and it's a lot of fun to play that game," Gragson said. "I kind of had playbacks in my head those last couple laps. I was praying for no caution ... I was thinking about making laps on that video game. Started off there and then to be actually racing here in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, it's a great privilege and it's awesome."

Gragson is the 10th first-time Truck Series winner at Martinsville, and his victory denied a driver from earning an automatic berth in the championship race of the playoffs. He passed Crafton on the outside on a restart with 10 laps remaining, and it denied Crafton the ticket to the finale.

Busch praised his newest winner.

"It just goes to show you that these guys, given the opportunities that they have in KBM stuff, can do a good job," Busch said. "Noah driving the thing to his first win was pretty cool."

Crafton finished second after leading a race-high 102 laps.

The race at Martinsville was the first in the round of six for the series. Two drivers will be eliminated from the field, and Gragson is not championship-eligible.

Johnny Sauter was third. Both he and Crafton won a stage of Saturday's race.

Harrison Burton was fourth and followed by Todd Gilliland.

Playoff-bound driver John Hunter Nemechek had a brake issue that caused his truck to slide into the outside wall early in the first stage. Nemechek immediately drove the truck behind the wall and he's now 62 points behind playoffs leader Christopher Bell.

Bell spun in the third segment on Lap 122 after contact with Crafton. Bell recovered to finish eighth.

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More AP Auto Racing: http://racing.ap.org/

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NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race - Texas Roadhouse 200 Presented By Alpha Energy Solutions

Martinsville Speedway

Martinsville, Virginia

Saturday, October 28, 2017

               1 (5) Noah Grayson #, 200, Running
               2 (2) Matt Crafton (P), 200, Running
               3 (4) Johnny Sauter (P), 200, Running
               4 (10) Harrison Burton, 200, Running
               5 (13) Todd Gilliland, 200, Running
               6 (11) Stewart Friesen #, 200, Running
               7 (8) Kaz Grala #, 200, Running
               8 (15) Christopher Bell (P), 200, Running
               9 (3) Ben Rhodes (P), 200, Running
               10 (6) Austin Cindric # (P), 200, Running
               11 (19) Justin Haley #, 200, Running
               12 (16) Grant Enfinger #, 200, Running
               13 (7) Ryan Truex, 200, Running
               14 (22) Regan Smith, 200, Running
               15 (18) Ty Dillon(i), 200, Running
               16 (23) Austin Hill, 200, Running
               17 (24) Landon Huffman, 200, Running
               18 (14) Cale Gale, 200, Running
               19 (1) Chase Briscoe #, 199, Running
               20 (20) Cody Coughlin #, 199, Running
               21 (29) Wendell Chavous #, 199, Running
               22 (26) Jeffrey Abbey, 199, Running
               23 (9) Mason Diaz, 198, Running
               24 (28) Jordan Anderson, 198, Running
               25 (27) Bayley Currey, 196, Running
               26 (21) Jeb Burton(i), 174, Rear Gear
               27 (31) Norm Benning, 153, Brakes
               28 (30) Jennifer Jo Cobb, 108, Oil Line
               29 (25) Austin Wayne Self, 61, Engine
               30 (17) John H. Nemechek (P), 37, Accident
               31 (12) Gray Gaulding(i), 26, Electrical
               32 (32) Chris Windom, 0, Engine

Average Speed of Race Winner: 67.932 mph.
Time of Race: 01 Hrs. 32 Mins. 55 Secs.   Margin of Victory: 1.486 Seconds
Caution Flags: 6 for 45 laps: Laps: 39-44 (#8 Incident in Turn 2 [45]); 52-60 (Stage 1 Conclusion [49]); 102-111 (Stage 2 Conclusion [92]); 123-129 (#4 and 88 Incident in 
Turn 4 [49]); 138-143 (#24 and 29 Incident in Turn 1 [1]); 184-190 (#50 Spin in Turn 2 [92]).
Lead Changes: 6 among 5 drivers: 
Lap Leaders: C. Briscoe # 1-39; M. Crafton (P) 40-71; J. Sauter (P) 72-104; M. Crafton (P) 105; C. Bell (P) 106-121; M. Crafton (P) 122-190; N. 
Gragson # 191-200.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): M. Crafton (3 times for 102 laps); C. Briscoe # (1 time for 39 laps); J. Sauter (P)(1 time for 33 laps); C. Bell (P) (1 time for 16 laps); N. Gragson # (1 time for 10 laps)

Stage #1 Top Ten: 88,21,27,16,18,33,19,86,29,51
Stage #2 Top Ten: 21,88,18,4,29,51,46,24,52,99