is crucial. Trusting your stuff and trusting whos behind

GRAPEVINE, Texas -- You think you have it all figured out, dont you?Four playoff spots, four undefeated Power 5 teams.Fine.But, um, whos No. 2?The first College Football Playoff rankings of 2016 will be revealed Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, and while the playoff picture seems relatively simple with Alabama, Clemson, Michigan and Washington all still undefeated, the selection committee probably wont use alphabetical order to figure out its top four.There are still some questions for the 12 members of the selection committee, who began their first official rankings meeting Monday afternoon and reconvened Tuesday morning. The evenings reveal will provide the first insight into how they view the top contenders. Heres a look at the most pressing questions heading into the first rankings:1. Whos No. 2? Alabama has looked like the most complete team in the country and the clear No. 1 for the past nine weeks, but who follows? Not all undefeated records are created equal. Clemson has three marquee wins against ranked opponents in Auburn, Louisville and Florida State, but hasnt looked dominant against the likes of Troy and NC State. Michigan has looked?dominant, particularly on defense, but has left its home state only once all season -- and that was to play a 2-6 Rutgers team. Washingtons first road win against a ranked opponent in Utah couldnt have come at a better time -- but thats the lone highlight on its playoff résumé. The case can be made for and against each team, so which way will the committee lean?2. How are the one-loss teams ranked? The one-loss club has grown significantly since West Virginia, Baylor and Nebraska joined this past weekend. Ohio State, Louisville, Florida and Texas A&M are also still clinging to playoff hopes. How the committee initially ranks these teams will give an indication of whether any of them have a shot at cracking the top four without winning a conference championship. The Big 12 is still up for grabs but doesnt have a conference championship game. Ohio State and Nebraska can still win their respective divisions in the Big Ten. Florida would have a monumental task upending Alabama in the SEC title game, should that matchup occur, and the Aggies need to win out and look spectacular in the process.3. Does any two-loss team stand a chance? Remember last years Stanford team, which lost to Northwestern and Oregon? The Cardinal were in the mix as a two-loss Pac-12 champion and finished No. 6. -- ahead of one-loss Ohio State -- in the final CFP rankings. Is there a two-loss team out there that the committee views similarly? Auburn is surging, but it needs to win out and have Texas A&M lose again to win the West. LSUs only league loss was to Auburn, so it can still win the West if it wins out and the Tigers lose again. Wisconsin now owns the tiebreaker over Nebraska if the Huskers lose again, and they play at Ohio State this week. Oklahoma hasnt lost a Big 12 game yet, and Utah can still win the South and get a second shot at Washington in the Pac-12 title game.4. Who leads the Group of 5? Boise State had been the front-runner until its 30-28 loss at Wyoming on Saturday. Will the selection committee reward undefeated Western Michigan, which has road wins at Northwestern and Illinois? A two-loss Boise State team was ranked ahead of an undefeated Marshall in 2014, which spoke volumes about what the committee thought of Marshalls strength of schedule that season. Because of its road wins over Big Ten teams, Western Michigan should be able to make a stronger case this year, but nothing is a guarantee. The highest-ranked Group of 5 champion is guaranteed a spot in a New Years Six bowl, which would be the Cotton Bowl this season. Clearance Custom Soccer Jerseys . The 25-year-old Japanese star has officially been posted by his club team, the Rakuten Golden Eagles. Wholesale Custom Soccer Jerseys . 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Danny Duffy has done that to everyone over the past three months.Their matchup at Comerica Park on Tuesday, when the Detroit Tigers play host to the Royals, has all the makings of a stellar pitching duel.Verlander (12-6, 3.42 ERA) has re-established himself as the Tigers ace, and he enters his 25th start of the season in top form. He has recorded six consecutive quality outings, including a seven-inning performance at Seattle on Wednesday when he held the Mariners to one run.Matched against Mariners ace Felix Hernandez that night, Verlander wound up with a no-decision. Verlander, who hasnt lost since June 26 against the Cleveland Indians, could face a similar situation on Tuesday.Most pitchers, when their counterpart is well-known or one of the better pitchers in the league, it gives you a little more adrenaline, Detroit manager Brad Ausmus said. I think that probably happened when Verlander and Felix pitched against each other.Verlander ranks second in the America League in strikeouts with 170 and fourth in opponents batting average at .216.The Royals know all too well how effective Verlander can be. He has 22 career wins against them, the most by an active pitcher. He also won both of his starts against Kansas City this season while notching 17 strikeouts.Duffy isnt focused on the pitching matchup.Its fun competing against those guys in general, Duffy said. I dont look at who Im going up against because I dont have to get him out.Duffy (9-1, 2.82 ERA) was moved into the rotation on May 15 and has emerged as the RRoyals most reliable arm.dddddddddddd He is 9-1 with a 2.79 ERA as a starter, including his current eight-game winning streak. He recorded his first career complete game in his last start against the Chicago White Sox on Thursday.Ive been really simplified with everything. It sounds super boring, but thats just kind of where Im at, he said. Trust is crucial. Trusting your stuff and trusting whos behind you. I have all of that. I trust my stuff, and I trust my boys.Duffy is 4-6 with a 3.43 ERA in 16 career outings against Detroit, including four appearances this season.Hes always had great stuff, and he seems to have pitched well against us for the most part, Ausmus said. The big thing is hes really throwing strikes now. Hes always had a real good fastball, but hes throwing strikes and hes become what a lot of people thought he would be, a dominant left-handed starter.Ausmus club has been hit hard by injuries recently, and another one cropped up to a premier player on Monday. First baseman Miguel Cabrera left the Tigers 3-1 loss to the Royals prior to the fifth inning with a left biceps strain. He was injured reaching for an errant throw by starting pitcher Daniel Norris in the first inning.Ausmus considers the injury minor and said Cabrera might even return to the lineup for Tuesday nights game. Detroit already has three starting position players on the disabled list -- center fielder Cameron Maybin, third baseman Nick Castellanos and shortstop Jose Iglesias. ' ' '