Choosing the four teams for the College Football Playoff is one of the most subjective, ambiguous processes of determining a national champion in all of college sports.That is, unless you follow the selection committees 11 commandments.Believe it or not, theres a method to the madness. There is protocol to be followed, and now there is two years of data to be analyzed. You want in, TCU? Michigan? LSU? Pay attention.The committee says thou shalt ...1. Play a challenging scheduleThe committee wants to know whom you beat. Its that simple. One of the biggest justifications for their weekly rankings has been wins over top-25 opponents and wins against teams with records of .500 or better. Its why the Big Ten no longer schedules FCS teams and has gone to a nine-game league format. Its why Week 1 features four matchups between two ranked teams. Teams arent penalized for a good loss (see: Notre Dame at Clemson last year) but also arent rewarded for FCS wins (looking at you, North Carolina).One of the top criteria we have in our rankings is strength of schedule. We look at all of those things. I know when were comparing schools or looking at schools, we throw it right up on the screen: whod they play, what their opponents records were. Thats very important -- your quality wins. -- CFP committee member Barry Alvarez2. Win your conferenceNowhere does it say specifically teams have to win a conference championship game (Oklahoma didnt need one last year), but there is heavy weight given to that so-called 13th data point, which was the very reason Ohio State finished in the top four in 2014. The Buckeyes romp of Wisconsin was exactly what it needed to sneak into the top four for the first time all season, pushing the Big 12 out. A conference title is used to help the committee members choose between comparable teams. Its why Michigan State bumped Iowa out of the top four last year and why it jumped Oklahoma in the final ranking.I think that win over that highly ranked team added to the rest of their body of work caused Michigan State to be ranked ahead of Oklahoma. -- Former committee chairman Jeff Long on Dec. 6, 20153. Lose early, not lateNobody within the CFP will concede this publicly, but by the nature of the sport, a November loss is far more damaging than one in September. Ask the Buckeyes, who suffered a devastating Nov. 21 loss to Michigan State last year, or Stanford, which won the Pac-12 but couldnt overcome that Nov. 14 home loss to Oregon. Or Notre Dame, which was eliminated with a Nov. 28 loss to Stanford.4. Win the head-to-head debateSee: TCU vs. Baylor. For committee members who wrestled with which Big 12 co-champ was better in 2014, the protocol helped guide them, as it says that head-to-head results should be used to help rank comparable teams. That could come into play this year with teams like Florida State and Clemson or LSU and Alabama.TCU went behind Baylor because I think people when they voted took into account finally the head-to-head. People would say why dont you take the head-to-head during the season? Because at that point, there are games that are being played, and one teams schedule might be significantly more challenging than another teams schedule, but once youve been through playing the whole conference slate and youre on even footing, and thats when you have to get it right. -- Former committee member Mike Tranghese5. Pass the eye testOK, so theres a wee bit of subjectivity in this system, but if you dont impress the five former coaches in the room, odds are the rest of the committee isnt impressed, either. Alabama lost at home to Ole Miss last year but was still one of the committees top four teams based in large part on its strength of schedule (see No. 1 on this list) and simply how good it looked.6. Dont assume undefeated means No. 1Undefeated Florida State from 2014 can attest to this, along with Ohio State from 2015. The Seminoles were undefeated in the first year of the playoff, were never ranked No. 1 and were consistently ranked as low as No. 3. In Week 11 last year, a one-loss Alabama team jumped to No. 2 over undefeated Ohio State.There is debate about that. Theres certainly those who view a team coming from behind and winning as a sign of a strong team, and theres others who might believe that theyre a good enough team, they should have been in front or more in control of the game as they progressed. -- Long on FSU, Nov. 25, 20147. Find a Heisman-caliber QB (unless youre Alabama)Almost every team that has been in the CFP so far has had an elite quarterback. Oregon QB Marcus Mariota? Heisman winner. Florida State QB Jameis Winston? Heisman winner. Clemson QB Deshaun Watson? Hell win it this year. Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield, Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook and Ohio State QBs Cardale Jones and?J.T. Barrett?were household names, too. Somehow, Alabama?continues to be the exception to this rule.8. Dont write anyone off in Week 1 (except Houston)Admit it. You eliminated Ohio State from the playoff after it lost at home to Virginia Tech in 2014. How about Stanford after it lost to Northwestern last year? It will be tempting to toss somebody out in Week 1 with so many high-profile games, but dont do it. The only deal-breaker is if Houston loses to OU, which would likely eliminate the Group of 5s best hope at an undefeated top-four team. Everyone else will be forgiven.You can recover. Teams change from the beginning of the year to the end of year. -- Alvarez9. Two teams from the same conference can be in the top fourThe committee has the freedom to put LSU and Alabama in together or Clemson and Florida State in together. In the first ranking of 2014, the committee put three teams in the top four from the SEC West. Their job is to determine the four best teams. Period. A team that doesnt win a league title, though, has to be unequivocally one of the four best and carries a greater burden to unseat a league champ. The committee hasnt had to tackle that debate yet.Our protocol clearly says there can be more than one team from a conference in the final four, so thats definitely a possibility, -- Long on Dec. 1, 201510. Dont panic over injuriesOhio State managed to win a national title with its third-string quarterback. Notre Dame kept its playoff hopes alive with DeShone Kizer after Malik Zaire was injured. The committee doesnt eliminate teams because of injuries. It waits to see how those teams perform without the starter. If it still looks like a top-four team, it will be ranked as such.One notable injury this week to Ohio States quarterback, J.T. Barrett, did not affect the weeks rankings. The committee will evaluate the Buckeyes without him in the Big Ten championship game this weekend. -- Long, Dec. 2, 201411. Dont get comfortable until the final ranking is revealedJust ask TCU, which dropped from No. 3 to No. 6 in the final ranking of 2014.I dont really care if I get it right during the year. Im not worried about it. Im only worried about getting it right the last week of the year. If we get every week wrong but we get it right at the end of the year, then we get it right. -- Tranghese Air Max 98 Outlet . Westbrook has missed 27 games since having a procedure on Dec. 27 to deal with swelling in his injured right knee — the third operation on the knee in nine months. Air Max 98 Outlet Online . -- Arizona knocked off some quality opponents, rolled over a few overmatched ones and grinded out victories even when things didnt go so well. http://www.airmax98outlet.com/ . Note: The Calgary Flames announced Tuesday that Sean Monahan would not be made available to Canadas World Junior team. Air Max 98 Cheap China . -- Tony Stewart is 20 pounds lighter and has a titanium rod in his surgically repaired right leg. Air Max 98 Cheap . With the short-handed Warriors needing help from someone -- anyone -- to stop a three-game skid, ONeal returned from right knee and groin injuries that had sidelined him for four games and put up season highs with 18 points and eight rebounds. It was just enough to help lift Golden State to a 102-101 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. TAMPA, Fla. -- Paxton Lynch made his NFL debut sooner than expected Sunday, stepping in for injured starter Trevor Siemian to help the Denver Broncos remain unbeaten with a 27-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.Siemian left the game with two minutes remaining in the first half with what the defending Super Bowl champions described as an injury to his left (non-throwing) shoulder. He remained in uniform and watched the second half from the sideline, wearing a baseball cap while Lynch -- the 26th pick in this years draft- finished the Broncos ninth consecutive win.Siemien threw a touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas, capitalizing on Aqib Talibs interception and 25-yard return to the Bucs 11 on Tampa Bays opening possession. The ex-Buc cornerback also set up another first-half TD with a second interception that led to C.J. Andersons 1-yard run for a 14-7 lead.For the second straight week, play was stopped in the fourth quarter at Raymond James Stadium because of inclement weather. The game was suspended for 1 hour, 26 minutes with 6:52 remaining Sunday, with only a few thousand fans returning to their seats for the conclusion.Jameis Winston scrambled 7 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter, but had limited success against the Denver defense the rest of the way. In addition to throwing two interceptions, the second-year quarterback was sacked five times while going 17 of 35 for 179 yards.A week after becoming the first player in league history with 300 passing yards, four TD passes and zero interceptions in his first career road start, Siemian was off to another solid start when he was sacked by Bucs defensive tackle Clinton McDonald, who slung the Broncos quarterback to the turf on his left shoulder for an 8-yard loss late in the second quarter. Siemian left the field on his power and later received a ride to the locker room on a cart.Denver (4-0) punted after Lynch threw an incompletion on third down coming out of the two-minute warning. The rookie got one more crack at the Bucs defense before halftime, going 4 of 8 for 47 yards to move his team into position for a 38-yard field goal that made it 17-7.ddddddddddddThe Broncos set the tone for a frustrating second half for the Bucs, methodically moving 69 yards in 16 plays for a field goal that increased the lead to 13. Lynchs 5-yard TD pass to Emmanuel Sanders, who had eight receptions for 88 yards, made it 27-7 in the fourth quarter.MODEST NUMBERSSiemian was 5 of 7 for 68 yards, including an 11-yard TD pass to Sanders on Denvers first offensive play. Lynch finished 14 of 24 for 170 yards, one TD and no interceptions.HOMECOMINGTalib faced his former team for the second time, first in Tampa. He was a first-round draft pick of the Bucs in 2008 and spent four-plus years with the team before being traded to New England in the middle of the 2012 season. His 33 interceptions are the most by a cornerback since the ninth-year pro entered the league. The first 16 came with Tampa Bay. The only other time he faced his former team, Talib had an interception during New Englands 23-3 victory over the Bucs in 2013.FAST STARTThe Broncos are 4-0 for the second straight season and third time in four years. Their nine-game winning streak is the longest in the NFL and theyve now won a league-best 26 consecutive games when theyve won the turnover battle.SIGNS OF IMPROVEMENTThe Buccaneers had four sacks -- 1 1/2 by McDonald, after not getting much pressure on opposing quarterbacks the previous two weeks against Arizona and Los Angeles. Siemian was sacked three times before leaving the game.INJURIESBroncos: In addition to Siemian, lost reserve CB Kayvon Webster with hamstring injury in second half.Buccaneers: Pro Bowl DT Gerald McCoy limped off with a calf in the second quarter and did not return. ... TE Brandon Myers (hip) and LB Noah Spence (shoulder) left in the first half and did not return. ... Played without RB Doug Martin (hamstring) and DE Robert Ayers Jr. (ankle) for the second straight week.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '