Anmelden » his hands when Noble Bird was a 3-year-

(STATS) -- Sam Houston States six sacks allowed this season are tied for the sixth-lowest total among FCS teams.On Thursday, the NCAA Division I FCS selection committee delivered a sack against the unbeaten Bearkats thats more important than any on the field.The committee lowered the No. 1 team in the STATS FCS Top 25 three spots to No. 5 in their second of three sets of Top 10 rankings preceding its announcement of the 24-team pairings on Nov. 20.Jacksonville State (8-1) had the top spot for the second straight week, followed by Eastern Washington (8-1), five-time defending FCS champion North Dakota State (8-1) and James Madison (8-1), which moved up one spot each. After Sam Houston, The Citadel (9-0) was sixth, followed by Chattanooga (8-1), Richmond (7-2), Central Arkansas (8-1) and North Dakota (8-2).Sam Houston (9-0) hasnt trailed in a game this season, but coach K.C. Keelers squad has fallen behind in the selection committee rankings. The top two seeded teams in the playoffs are guaranteed home games through the semifinals, whose winners will advance to the FCS championship game Jan. 7 in Frisco, Texas.Second in the committee rankings last week, the Bearkats fall to No. 5 ironically comes after one of their bigger wins of the season, 56-43 over rival McNeese (5-5).While Sam Houstons 89th ranking in the NCAAs toughest schedule report would be cause for a drop with the committee, it doesnt compute with Jacksonville States 101st-ranked schedule based on cumulative opposition (the winning percentage of past and future opponents). The Gamecocks, last years FCS runners-up, are coming off a less impressive win than Sam Houston -- 17-10 over Southeast Missouri (3-6).Should the teams in front of Sam Houston continue to win this weekend, the Bearkats may not gain with the committee because they play a 1-8 Northwestern State squad. However, their final regular-season game on Nov. 19 could leave a lasting impression as they will host Central Arkansas in a likely pseudo-Southland Conference championship game. Both teams are 7-0 in conference play.The playoffs consist of 10 conference champions which receive automatic bids and 14 at-large selections. Eight teams will be seeded and receive first-round byes, and 16 open play in the first round on Nov. 26.The selection committee will release one more set of rankings on Tuesday during the Championship Drive: Power Hour, beginning at 10 p.m. ET on ESPNU. Cheap Nike Air Force 1 From China . -- Adam Snyder returned to the San Francisco 49ers this season because the offensive lineman thought it was his best opportunity to win a championship. Wholesale Nike Air Force 1 For Sale . Instead of dwelling on the negative, Oates focused on what was good about the clubs recent play. It worked. http://www.airforce1wholesale.com/ .C. United of Major League Soccer. United chose the defender in the second round of the 2013 MLS re-entry draft. Discount Nike Air Force 1 Shoes .35 million, one-year contract that avoided salary arbitration. Plouffe batted .254 with 14 home runs and 52 RBIs in 477 at-bats last season, his second as a regular in the lineup. Wholesale Nike Air Force 1 Online .H. -- Matt Kenseth made it 2 for 2 in the Chase, holding off teammate Kyle Busch to win Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Okay, Mark Casse -- freshly christened member of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame, trainer of Tepin, Catch a Glimpse, and Lexie Lou, among others -- think youre hot stuff? Lets see what you can do with the enigmatic Noble Bird against Frosted on Saturday in the 89th running of the Whitney at Saratoga.Talk about bringing a butter knife to a gunfight.Of course, Casse does not think hes hot stuff, but when reached Thursday morning at Saratoga, he was still glowing from the Hall of Fame ceremonies the night before at the Mississagua Convention Centre near Woodbine. He was gracious and grateful in his acceptance speech, noting in awe the company of trainers he has joined that includes Lucien Laurin, Horatio Luro, and Roger Attfield, and his thank-yous were liberally spread among his owners, his horses, and the stable crews of his several training outposts.What Casse could not do, however, was finish his speech. With his voice cracking with emotion, he turned the podium over to his wife and racing partner, Tina Casse, and stood aside while she read his dedication to his father, the widely respected horseman Norman Casse, who died this year.With this honor, I spent a lot of time in reflection, Casse said. It seems that time is flying by now, but as you look back, as its going, sometimes its a little hard to enjoy it. As Allen Jerkens said when he was asked if everything was okay: When youre a horse trainer, everything is never okay.At 55, Casse was in his first year of eligibility for the Canadian Hall. The native of Indiana got there by winning the Woodbine training title 11 times, eight Sovereign Awards, and Canadian Horse of the Year with Sealy Hill, Uncaptured, Lexie Lou, and Catch a Glimpse. Taking Breeders Cup races last year with Catch a Glimpse and the champion Tepin didnt hurt either.Someone came up to me about a year ago and said how wonderful it must be to train all those good horses, Casse said. I just smiled and said yes. But as we all know, there is always something to worry about. Dont get me wrong, Im not complaining. And I love my life. But Ill tell you one thing: Ive grown to have a greater respect for Bob Baffert and Todd Pletcher and those kind of guys.The feeling should be mutual. Casse first penetrated the North American top 10 in earnings in 2011 and has been there since, currently rolling fourth behind Pletcher, Chad Brown, and Steven Asmussen.With his assistant and son, Norman Casse, the elder Casse rocked the racing world last spring wwhen they sent out Robert Mastersons Tepin to beat the best milers Europe could muster in the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot.ddddddddddddThe mare has been back in steady training, looking for a path to a defense of her title in the Breeders Cup Mile.Shes been struggling a bit with Saratogas main track -- its so deep and tiring, Casse said. So, were trying to figure out how to cope with that and get her ready for whatever is next. But were dealing with it, and shell be fine.While Tepin has been as reliable as the dawn, John Oxleys Noble Bird has been a puzzlement. Making his 17th start, the 5-year-old son of Travers winner Birdstone finds himself among five entered against Frosted in the $1.25 million Whitney, at 1 1/8 miles on the main track.All Casse and his jockey, Julien Leparoux, need to do is flip the 18 lengths or so that separated Frosted and Noble Bird at the end of the Met Mile at Belmont Park on June 11. That was the day Frosted freaked, winning by an official 14-1/4 lengths in a performance so off-the-wall remarkable that it stole the show from the featured Belmont Stakes and anything else that happened in horse racing that day.Its not a matter of finding those 18 lengths in Noble Bird, Casse said. What we need is for Frosted not to go throwing a 123 Beyer at us again. If he could regress a little bit, that would be very helpful.To describe Noble Bird as inconsistent is an understatement. Casse thought he had a classic colt on his hands when Noble Bird was a 3-year-old, but he did not win a maiden race until August of that year in his fifth start. At 4, he defeated Lea and Hoppertunity in the Stephen Foster Handicap, and this year he won the Pimlico Special by 11-1/4 lengths. In between, though, there were sprinkled grim efforts that baffled both Casse and his jockeys.Hes the toughest horse to ride Ive ever trained, Casse said. He can make good riders look bad. He breaks a little slow, and then he wants to run off. But if you take too much of a hold, hell stick his head straight up in the air, and the rider will fall back on the saddle.But he is a Grade 1 winner, Casse added, and he loves Saratoga. Hell work as good as a horse can work over that surface. So, if he brings his A game, hell run really well. If he doesnt, it doesnt matter where you run him. It doesnt make sense, so you might as well run for a lot of money. ' ' '