
Illinois women's basketball wins season opener over Detroit Mercy
By Maria Gonzalez
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Man, oh, man, does the College Football Playoff committee ever love it some SEC.That was the biggest takeaway from this season’s initial playoff rankings, released Tuesday. Seven SEC teams packed the top 14 spots, and — more to the point — every SEC team with a pulse was ranked higher by the committee than it was in the AP and coaches’ polls.Good for the SEC. Its feelings were hurt after the Big Ten won back-to-back-to-back national championships, but now it can feel special again.What else about the CFP rankings stands out? Here’s one huge thing: the 10-spot gap between the top team, unbeaten ACC powerhouse Miami, and one-loss Notre Dame.Do the 8-0 Hurricanes deserve to be No. 1? Sure, that’s fine. But with the Fighting Irish at 11, they’re right back where they were a year ago, only this time it’s plain and obvious — they can’t lose a second game, to Miami or anybody else, and expect to make the 12-team playoff field.That makes the highest-profile game in a sparkling Week 10 lineup —