There is no convoluted formula or secret access code into the College Football Playoff. It is, however, an exclusive club -- one that so far has been reserved for the big boys of college football, the conference champions from the Big Ten, Big 12, ACC, Pac-12 and SEC.The only common denominator between the haves and have-nots chasing a spot in the playoff is the one question every team must answer for the selection committee: Who did you beat?Last year, Houston beat Florida State, Louisville and Vanderbilt. Memphis beat Ole Miss. Cincinnati beat Miami. The entire American Athletic Conference went 6-4 against the ACC and won a total of 10 games against Power 5 opponents. It finished with three 10-win teams in Houston, Navy and Temple.New Years Six bowl? Definitely. Top four? Not a chance.I talked to the committee and I talked to the chair, said American Conference commissioner Mike Aresco. We were able to talk to them at the College Football Playoff, and I said, I just think there might be this bias toward teams that have always been there, teams in the P5 with the big names, but these teams can play, and Houston couldve been a very worthy playoff team.It still might be.The American raised its profile in the eyes of the committee last year, but in order for the group to even consider a team from the Group of 5 -- comprised of The American, the MAC, the Mountain West, the Sun Belt and C-USA -- it would likely have to be undefeated, including at least one win over a ranked Power 5 opponent, and the entire league would have to have a few top 25 teams like the American did last year.Its not impossible.Its just not probable in this system.I think the landscape needs to be evened out and made fair, said former Oregon offensive coordinator and first-year UCF coach Scott Frost. I think from our perspective, an eight-team playoff would be a lot better. Then you can take the top Group of 5 team and throw them in with the seven best Power 5 teams.I think the number of conference games needs to be standard throughout the leagues, he said. Im coming from the Pac-12, where we had to win nine straight conference games, and whatever nonconference you had, and a playoff if you get there. Wed be playing Arizona State or USC in Week 10, watching the SEC play The Citadel or Georgia Southern. Those kinds of things arent equitable. If were going to get to a point where everything is fair, then they need to even out the scheduling with everybody and give everybody a fair shake.Temple coach Matt Rhule hasnt forgotten what it feels like to be undefeated and left out. He was on the 1994 Penn State team that went undefeated and didnt win the national title.This system? Its sooo much better, he said.That team wouldve killed for this opportunity, he said. I think its a step in the right direction, but I look forward to the day we open it up to eight teams. Im hoping that some day that happens, because I think the teams in this league, if they put them in the playoff, people would be really surprised at what we would do. I think wed have some really great games.There will be several chances to prove it this season.Houston has gotten the bulk of the attention as the Group of 5s best playoff hope, but ESPNs Football Power Index gives Boise State the best chance of any Group of 5 team to win out, at 7.9 percent - the fourth-best chance of any team in the country behind Oklahoma, Florida State and Clemson. FPI projects Houston to win just 8.6 games, but the Cougars will face Oklahoma and Louisville.South Florida also has a monumental opportunity at home when it faces Florida State, but its unlikely the selection committee could ignore a season opener against Towson. Memphis once against faces Ole Miss, Tulsa travels to Ohio State, and SMU has TCU and Baylor. One of the more underrated difficult schedules is ECUs three-game stretch against NC State, South Carolina and Virginia Tech.Lining up against Power 5 opponents is one thing. Winning those games is another.If you become the conference champion in the American conference and you win those games, UConns Bob Diaco said, I dont know how youre not going to be a part of that group of four, I really dont.The highest-ranked champion from the Group of 5 is guaranteed a spot in a New Years Six bowl, which Houston earned last year, when they beat Florida State 38-24 in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. If the Cougars can beat the Sooners in Week 1, they should immediately be taken seriously in the CFP race.If they went undefeated and win those games, Aresco said, I dont know how you keep them out.Maybe you dont.Its going to take perfection, though, to find out. Frank Gore Super Bowl Jersey . 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The Oilers signed Bryzgalov to a one-year $2 million contract last Friday after shedding payroll by dealing defenceman Ladislav Smid to the Flames.WASHINGTON -- Not a single member of the current Washington Capitals roster is from Washington. In fact, Jeff Halpern remains the only player born-and-bred in the area to make the local NHL team, and hes come and gone twice in his 13 seasons in the league. So perhaps Jason Chimera, a native of Edmonton who has been with the Capitals only since 2009, could be forgiven for his response when asked Thursday about the collective public angst over the teams latest blown lead in the playoffs. "I dont know why people keep bringing up pasts, or people keep bringing up stuff that happened," Chimera said. "Its different teams every year. Its not like its the same individuals every year." If Chimera were a live-long Capitals fan, he would feel differently. He would bear the scars from rooting for a franchise that has lost eight -- yes, eight -- playoff series when holding a two-game lead. Nobody collapses in the post-season quite like the Capitals. 1985. 1987. 1992. 1995. 1996. 2003. 2009. 2010. All series that Washington led either 2-0 or 3-1 -- and went on to lose. All were seven-game series, except for a five-gamer in 85. Even more startling, the Capitals historically are more likely to lose than win a series after taking a 2-0 lead. Theyve won four, lost five. They are trending that way again. They were up 2-0 on the New York Rangers. Now its 2-2 headed into Fridays Game 5 in Washington. While theres room for plenty of discussion for the technical and strategic reasons for the two losses in New York, one fact remains indisputable: The doubts are inevitably growing among the paying customers, and the players have to make sure those doubts dont seep into the locker room. "We need to get some momentum back," forward Troy Brouwer said. "Theyve got a lot of it with their two wins in their building. Weve been able to get wins at home, and were relying on that and have confidence in that going into Game 5." Take away the weight of the Capitals history, and the teams plight doesnt look so dire. If they keep holding serve at home, theyll win the series. Iff they can take fewer penalties and be less sloppy, and if Alex Ovechkin can find more space to make an impact after getting shut out in Games 3 and 4, they should be in good shape to turn the tide.dddddddddddd But then theres this: The Capitals are have a 10-20 all-time record in Game 5s. Thats a massive skeleton to have in the closest, but its a closet the players are trying to keep shut. "Everyone likes to make things bigger than it actually is," defenceman Karl Alzner said. "The fans like to panic a little bit sometimes, but were not panicking, and everyone will see that tomorrow." Thats not to say that emotion wont play a part from here on out. Setting aside the history, both teams say that confidence and momentum could be as important as line changes and power plays in the next few days. "Our resiliency has really shown in these past two games, and we are going to need that when we go to Washington," New York coach John Tortorella said. "They are going to surge there, and we just need to find a way to keep our heads above water and find a way to win a game." Nevertheless, if the Rangers do win Game 5, the Capitals will have to work a bit harder to keep the angst of history at bay. "Theres always momentum swings," Washington goaltender Braden Holtby said. "Its just whoever can keep the levelest head, and keep thinking about the long-term in the series, and not worry about those momentum swings, is usually the team thats going to win." Notes: Capitals RW Martin Erat is likely out for Game 5 with an upper body injury suffered in Game 4. Washington recalled RWs Joey Crabb and Tom Wilson from Hershey of the AHL. Wilson, 19, is a 2012 first-round draft pick and made his professional debut last week in the AHL playoffs. ... Washington F Brooks Laich, who hasnt played since April 4, said his recent surgery was a "small procedure that was groin-related." He is skating again but needs to improve his conditioning before he can play. AP Sports Writer Ira Podell in New York contributed to this report. ' ' '