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ByRalphD.Russo TheAssociatedPress Ohio State moved into second in the College Football Playoff rankings behind Alabama, with Michigan and Clemson still in the top four after losing for the first time this season. Louisville was fifth and Wash- ington dropped from fourth to sixth after its first loss. Clemson, Michigan and Wash- ington — the Nos. 2, 3 and 4 teams in last week's rankings — all lost to unranked teams on Sat- urday. The Wolverines, who have three victories against teams in the selection committee's top 10, did not move after losing to Iowa. The Tigers ended up drop- ping two spots to No. 4 after los- ing to Pittsburgh. Louisville was fifth. Wiscon- sin was seventh and Penn State eighth, giving the Big Ten four teams in the top 10. Oklahoma was the highest rated Big 12 team at nine and Colorado was 10th. Michigan's loss to Iowa cre- ated a potential predicament for the selection committee with the Buckeyes. Because Ohio State lost at eighth-ranked Penn State, the Nittany Lions would win a tiebreaker for the Big Ten East if both finish 8-1 in the confer- ence, shutting out the Buckeyes from the conference champion- ship game. In two years of the playoff, all the participants have been con- ference champions and the com- mittee is instructed to give some preference to league champs and head-to-head results when teams are similar. There is little question that Ohio State would have the best overall resume in the Big Ten, and maybe one of the best resume's in the country, if it wins out. But would not winning the conference keep the Buckeyes out the way it did last season? A Penn State loss in the next couple of weeks would clear things up, but the Nittany Lions play Rutgers on Saturday and finish at home against Michigan State. They will be heavy favorites in both games. A possible solution for the Buckeyes and the selection com- mittee: If Oklahoma wins the Big 12 and Wisconsin wins the Big Ten, the Buckeyes would have a victory over both. Problem solved. COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF RANKINGS OhioSt.up;Michigan,Clemsonstilltop4 By Curtis Pashelka Bay Area News Group RALEIGH, N.C. Aaron Dell did all he could to give the Sharks a chance to keep their unbeaten road trip intact. His teammates, though, didn't keep up their part of the bargain. In just his second start of the season, Dell finished 32 saves, including 23 in the first two pe- riods, but the Sharks failed to sustain any type of offensive at- tack in a 1-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. Joakim Nordstrom's goal with 9:12 to go in the third period was the winner, as the Sharks fell to 3-1 on their season-long six-game road trip. The Sharks play in St. LouisonThursday,thenconclude the trip Saturday in Arizona. Nordstrom put a shot on goal on a Carolina odd man rush that Dell blocked with his shoulder. But Nordstrom was able to col- lect the loose puck and beat Dell for his first goal of the season. For much of the game, the Sharks made life easy for Hur- ricanes goalie Cam Ward, and unnecessarily difficult for Dell. Ward improved to 6-1 in his ca- reer against San Jose. Ward made 22 saves. Searching for a spark, Sharks coach Pete DeBoer juggled his lines toward the end of a slug- gish second period. He moved Tomas Hertl to the top line with Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton and had Joel Ward on a line with Patrick Marleau and Joo- nas Donskoi. Kevin Labanc was on with Chris Tierney and Tommy Win- gels and Mikkel Boedker was with Logan Couture and Matt Nieto. The line juggling contin- ued into the third period. The Sharks were outshot 10-2 in the second period, getting their first shot with 7:42 left in the second after Donskoi put a backhander on Cam Ward. Dell kept the game scoreless with a handful of key saves. With the Hurricanes on a 2-on-1, Dell stopped Lee Stemp- niak's wrist shot from just inside the circle at the 14:34 mark. He also made a pad save at the 8:23 mark as Sebastian Aho got his stick free to put a shot on goal right after Dell blocked a shot from Noah Hanifin. It was all part of a forgetta- ble second period which saw the Sharks lose 10 of 13 faceoffs, and 24 of 31 through 40 minutes. Dell made 13 saves in the first period, including five in a 90-second span when the Sharks were totally hemmed in their own zone by the Hurricanes line of Jordan Staal, Aho and Teuvo Teravainen. That line, which combined for 11 points in Carolina's 5-1 win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday, largely outplayed the line of Couture, Donskoi and Boedker and finished with a combined seven shots on goal in the first 20 minutes. Dell was making his first start in net since Oct. 18 against the New York Islanders. In two games, Dell had a 2.40 goals against average and a .902 save percentages. NHL DELLISSOLID,BUT CAN'T SAVE SHARKS PHOTOSBYKARLBDEBLAKER—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Carolina's Jordan Staal has his shot blocked by Sharks goalie Aaron Dell during the second period Tuesday. HURRICANES1,SHARKS0 Up Next: Sharks at St. Louis When: Thursday, 5p.m. TV/Radio: CSN-CA/1460AM, 101.1FM THESCORE By Jeff Faraudo BANG Correspondent BERKELEY The Big Game is new to first-year Cal quarterback Da- vis Webb, but the Texas native al- ready has grasped its importance to fans of both schools. "I don't think there's anything like this game," said Webb, a se- nior who arrived at Cal this season as a transfer from Texas Tech. "It's going to be one of the greatest ex- periences I've ever had in my life." If Webb can help the Bears (4- 6, 2-5 Pac-12) secure a victory in the 119th renewal — after six straight defeats to Stanford — he will earn a special niche with Cal fans. "That would be awesome. That would be a pretty cool legacy to leave," he said Tuesday. Webb got the chance Mon- day to attend the annual Grid Club meeting, where he sat with a couple of former Cal quarter- backs who delivered Big Game heroics. J Torchio, who came to Cal as a walk-on, emerged victo- rious against John Elway in the 1980 Big Game. Kevin Brown or- chestrated an upset win in 1986 in coach Joe Kapp's final game. "That gave him some perspec- tive," said Cal coach Sonny Dykes, in his fourth Big Game. The Bears have gradually closed the gap against the Cardi- nal (7-3, 5-3) over the past three seasons. Cal lost 63-13 in 2013 and 38-17 in 2014, but it was compet- itive in a 35-22 defeat a year ago. Even earlier this season, Cal ap- peared to be on the upswing while Stanford struggled. But momentum has swung the other way. The Bears have lost three in a row, outscored by a combined 167-72, and Stanford has won three straight, by a mar- gin of 112-52. "We understand they've got it going on right now," said Webb, who particularly praised the Car- dinal defense. There is more than tradition at stake Saturday. The Bears must win their final two games to reach six victories and gain bowl eligi- bility. "We have the season in our hands," Webb said. COLLEGE FOOTBALL Cal quarterback enjoying his first Big Game experience STANFORD AT CAL When: Saturday, 2:30p.m. TV/Radio: Pac-12Network/810 AM, 90.1FM TUNEIN By Daniel Brown Bay Area News Group Strange as it sounds, Jared Goff's parents found a bright side to watching the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft languish on the bench for 10 weeks. Having spent so much of their lives with their stomach in knots on game days, Jerry and Nancy Goff of Novato could watch the Los Angeles Rams play without worrying about the monstrous linemen trying to squash their boy. "It was very low anxiety. We were OK," Jerry Goff said. "We were always on pins and needles when he was at Cal because there were some anxious moments." It's time to break out the Pepto- Bismol again. The Rams an- nounced Tuesday that Goff will start against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday at the Los Angeles Col- iseum. Coach Jeff Fisher, who had been emphatic in his support of Case Keenum, reversed course after the Rams failed to score a touchdown for the third time this season. "I think it's time," Goff said af- ter practice Tuesday. "I'm ready to move forward and play. I'm just going to work hard and hope- fully win." Said Fisher: "It wasn't a sponta- neous decision. It was a progres- sion. It's a gut feel. It's not an easy thing. It takes time, and we gave it time, and it was the right deci- sion. He's going to have some mo- ments, like all young quarterbacks do, but he's going to do well." The news of Goff's promotion spread quickly. Jerry Goff was en- joying 18 holes at the StoneTree Golf Club in Novato when he glanced at his phone. In the blink of an eye, there were 20 texts and counting. That's what happens when your son is finally ready to tee off on his NFL career. "He's excited," Jerry Goff said. "He's ready to roll." NFL Goff finally gets his chance PATRICK SEMANSKY — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett greets fans a er a game Saturday. Sa n J ose f ai ls t o s up po rt w it h o ff en se i n l os s t o C ar ol in a Former Cal quarterback will start for Rams on Sunday against Dolphins SPORTS » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, November 16, 2016 MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B1