Its inevitable. The day after the US Open ends, the clarity and narratives that propelled tennis through most of the summer vanish.It doesnt help that the tours ramble off to relatively new outposts in Asia and Russia before wending their way back, at least in the case of the ATP, to a more traditional finale in Europe and London. Another stumbling block to clarity: Both tour calendars are crowded with tournaments, many competing directly with each other.Dont be fooled. Lets make some sense of what the tours have in store for us in the coming weeks.ATPWhats at stake?Top-ranked Novak Djokovic has a massive lead of nearly 5,000 ranking points over No. 2 Andy Murray. Thats the equivalent of a Grand Slam win and victories in three Masters 1000 events. Murrays lead over No. 3 Stan Wawrinka is also significant -- more than 3,000 points. With Roger Federer out for the year and Rafael Nadal at a distant No. 4 but still a shadow of his former combative self, there will be no musical chairs at the top level. From Nadal on down, though, almost everyone is either vulnerable or facing a significant opportunity.That opportunity would culminate with the year-end championships in London. The top eight players in the world qualify, and with Federer out, it opens the door for someone else. Right now Nadal sits in the eighth position in the race (not to be confused with the rankings). Tomas Berdych and Marin Cilic are close behind; a strong finish could propel them into the seasons final event.Notable tournamentsThere are six ATP 250 events before the end of the year, starting with those now underway in France and Russia, respectively: Metz (defending champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga); St. Petersburg (Milos Raonic); Chengdu, China (new event, replacing Kuala Lumpur, won in 2015 by David Ferrer); Shenzhen, China, (Berdych); Stockholm, (Berdych); Antwerp, Belgium, (new event, replacing Valencia, Spain, won in 2015 by Joao Sousa); and the Kremling Cup in Moscow (Cilic).The four more prestigious ATP 500 events are played over just two double-up weeks. Beijing (China Open) and Tokyo (Japan Open) begin the first week in October. Djokovic is the defending champ in Beijing; Wawrinka won Tokyo in 2015. Murray is entered in Beijing, along with Nadal and Raonic. Wawrinka will be challenged by Kei Nishikori, Cilic, Gael Monfils and others in Japan.The other double-up 500 week is the last one in October, with Basel (Swiss Indoors) and Vienna (Austria) on the schedule. Federer is the defending champ in Basel, while Ferrer won in Vienna. With Federer out and Ferrer showing his age, its reasonable to expect two new champions to emerge. Wawrinka, Nadal and Raonic headline Basel, while Murray and Dominic Thiem lead the parade in Vienna.The two ATP 1000 events of the fall are Shanghai, during the second week of October, and Paris, which takes place the first week of November. They are mandatory for all players who qualify for entry by ranking. Djokovic won both last year. He also won the ATP World Tour Finals, which follows immediately.Players to watchRaonic, ranked No. 6 but nipping at the heels of No. 5 Nishikori as well as Nadal could make some moves in the rankings. Given Wawrinkas on-again, off-again nature, Raonic might even end up challenging the Stanimal for the No. 3 spot. Its all hard courts from here on in -- many of which will be played indoors. That suits Raonic just fine given the Wimbledon runner-up has a massive serve, a booming forehand and a growing appetite for ending points swiftly.Nishikori is a massive star in Asia, so theres always extra pressure on him during the fall. He also has been injury prone after a long year, and that could take its toll, especially in the ATP World Tour Finals, where only the best of the best play.WTAWhats at stake?Angelique Kerber snatched the No. 1 ranking from Serena Williams at the US Open; Williams has an excellent chance to get it back in time to finish the year on top. She did not play a single tournaments after the 2015 US Open, and Williams has no rankings points to lose the rest of the year. She can only add to her current total of 7,050. Kerber, who has 8,730 points, earned about 1,200 last fall. Right now, were waiting to see if Williams decides to play any fall ball this season.Like the ATP, the WTA will also host a year-end championships. It will take place the last week of October, in Singapore. Carla Suarez Navarraro holds the slimmest of leads (two points) over Madison Keys for the eighth and final spot, with Johanna Konta and Svetlana Kuznetsova also making a push.The tournamentsThe seven WTA International Series events that remain on the calendar award the winner with 280 points. They are, starting with the ongoing events in Seoul, South Korea, and Guangzhou, China (defending champions, respectively: Irina-Camelia Begu and Jelena Jankovic); Tashkent, Uzbekistan, (Nao Hibino); Tianjin, China (Agnieszka Radwanska); Hong Kong (Jankovic); Linz, Austria, (Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova); and Luxembourg (Misaki Doi).There are two Premier 12 level tournaments (470 points to the winner) events as well. The Toray Pan Pacific Open, in Tokyo, is going on this week. (Radwanska won it last year.) During the fourth week in October, its the Kremlin Cup, in Moscow (Kuznetsova).The two most important tournaments of the fall are back-to-back events starting next week in Wuhan, China. That one is the lone Premier 5, with the winner earning 900 points. (Venus Williams is your defending champ). It is immediately followed by the only Premier Mandatory, Beijings China Open. The winner there will rake in 1,000 ranking points, as Garbine Muguruza did last year. These will be particularly important battlegrounds this year.Finally, its the season-ending championships, where Radwanska, a surprise winner, prevailed a year ago.Players to watchTheres no question, Kerber has established herself as the first true rival Serena Williams has ever really faced since she hit her latest champions stride in 2012. Even combative Victoria Azarenka never got the best of Williams when it most counted, although the Belarusian came close a few times. Williams and Kerber could meet for the first time since they changed places in the rankings next week in Wuhan, and both could play Beijing as well. The events of the next few weeks could also tell a lot about 2017.Last year, Muguruza swooned after she reached the Wimbledon final, then crafted an impressive autumn surge. Can she do it again under similar circumstances, after having won the French Open?There are no Grand Slam titles at stake, but there are enough compelling storylines through November that could make for fun, captivating competition until the Aussie Open begins -- in 114 days. Cheap Custom Marlins Jersey . -- Arizona raced out to a big lead and did not back off, hitting the accelerator instead. Custom Marlins T-shirts .com) - The game was all punts and field goals before Kodi Whitfields catch. http://www.custommarlinsjersey.com/ . 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USCs Clay Helton is 1-5 since being named the Trojans head coach in November.Helton told reporters last week that he meets with new USC athletic director Lynn Swann following every game, including after last weeks 31-27 defeat at Utah.He was extremely supportive, Helton told reporters on a teleconference this week.Its a good thing Helton and Swann havent met at an airport tarmac yet.After falling to the Utes in a game in which the Trojans blew a 14-point lead, USC is 1-3 for the first time since 2001. The Trojans have already switched quarterbacks, although it seems Helton made the right move in replacing Max Browne with backup Sam Darnold.The Trojans were among 11 teams axed by The Eliminator this week. Through four weeks, 77 of the 128 FBS teams have been eliminated for the four spots in the College Football Playoff, leaving 51 teams under consideration for the playoff.Heres where the FBS stands after Week 4:Jump to sections: Whos in??| Still in contention | On the fence | Better luck next season | Previously eliminatedWhos in?The top four seeds in the College Football Playoff stay the same after Week 4. Alabama rolled Kent State 48-0 and remains the No. 1 seed. No. 2 Ohio State was off this past week, and No. 3 Louisville won 59-28 at Marshall last week. No. 4 Michigan scored 40 points or more again, routing Penn State 49-10 in the Big House. Well start to see some clarity this coming weekend, as Louisville plays at Clemson, which might go a long way in deciding which team wins the ACC Atlantic Division.Still in contentionAlabama Crimson TideTrending: UPAdmit it, Coach Saban: its not going to be as much fun beating LSU without the Mad Hatter on the sideline.Baylor BearsTrending: UPDont look now, but the Bears are playing pretty good defense under interim coach Jim Grobe. Baylor held Oklahoma State to only 3.9 rushing yards per attempt and forced four turnovers in a 35-24 win.Clemson TigersTrending: UPESPN Stats & Info says Clemsons Deshaun Watson added about nine points per game in 2015, which was more than any FBS quarterback. Through four games this year, Louisvilles Lamar Jackson is adding 12.8 points, which is more than any FBS player in the past 10 seasons.Florida State SeminolesTrending: UPCharles Kelly is still turning Jimbo Fisher into Brian Kelly every Saturday.Houston CougarsTrending: EVENYeah, Tom Herman might want to get used to answering those LSU questions.Louisville CardinalsTrending: UPCardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson has accounted for 25 touchdowns this season. Michigan is the only other FBS team that has scored more.Miami HurricanesTrending: EVENNo, nobody noticed Miami passing Georgia in the AP Top 25 rankings this week.Michigan WolverinesTrending: UPMichigan cornerback Jourdan Lewis is a potential All-American and possible high-round choice in next springs NFL draft. The good news: NFL kickers arent as big as Penn States Joey Julius.Nebraska CornhuskersTrending: UPEarly leader for best coaching job of the year: Nebraskas Mike Riley convincing quarterback Tommy Armstrong that hes Tommy Frazier. Armstrong had a 93.6 QBR and rushed for a career-high 132 yards (and didnt have a turnover) in last weeks 24-13 win at Northwestern.Ohio State BuckeyesTrending: EVENThe Buckeyes didnt play last week and host Rutgers on Saturday. Man, Urban Meyer is really catching up on his honey-do list.Stanford CardinalTrending: UPCardinal defensive lineman Solomon Thomas was either the most popular or hated man in Las Vegas on Saturday night. On the final play at UCLA, Thomas picked up Josh Rosens fumble and rumbled 42 yards for a touchdown, sealing a 22-13 win.Tennessee VolunteersTrending: UPSeriously, put the cocktails down, Volunteers fans. Youve celebrated long enough.Texas A&M AggiesTrending: UPTexas A&Ms Kevin Sumlin is one of four SEC coaches who won eight or more games in each of the past four seasons. Georgia fired Mark Richt, LSU fired Les Miles and Alabama isnt going to fire Nick Saban.Washington HuskiesTrending: EVENThe Huskies might want to keep an eye on Stanfords Christian McCaffrey on Friday night. He had 300 all-purpose yards in a 31-14 win over the Huskies last season. He had 109 yards on 23 rushes, 112 yards on five receptions and 79 yards on kickoff returns.Wisconsin BadgersTrending: UPYeah, maybe Helton should have kept Justin Wilcox as his defensive coordinator. Under Wilcox, the Badgers rank in the top 15 in FBS in scoring defense (11.8 points per game), rushing defense (80.5 yards) and total defense (277 yards).On the fenceAir Force FalconsTrending: UPAfter opening Mountain West Conference play with a 27-20 win at Utah State, the Falcons play the first leg in the race for the Commander-in-Chiefs Trophy at home against Navy on Saturday.Arizona WildcatsTrending: UPThe Wildcats might have lost 35-28 in overtime to Washington, but coach Rich Rodriguez has to be encouraged by his teams dramatic improvement. The bad news: Freshman tailback J.J. Taylor, who was playing in place of injured Nick Wilson, broke his left ankle and is out for the rest of the season.Arizona State Sun DevilsTrending: UPThe Sun Devils rallied to score 31 points in the fourth quarter of a 51-41 victory over Cal. It was only the second time in the past five seasons that an FBS team scored at least 30 points in the fourth quarter to come from behind to win. The Bears lost both times.Arkansas RazorbacksTrending: DOWNHogs coach Bret Bielema is our only hope for any sort of comedy at SEC media days.Auburn TigersTrending: UPNice job, Tigers. You cost a damn fine man his job. By the way, field goals probably arent going to beat Alabama.Boise State BroncosTrending: UPThe Broncos moved to 3-0 for the first time since 2011 with a 38-24 win at Oregon State, which was their fourth consecutive victory over a Pac-12 opponent. The Broncos open Mountain West play against Utah State at home.Cincinnati BearcatsTrending: DOWNHas anyone seen Gunner Kiel in Cincinnati?Colorado BuffaloesTrending: UPThere are some athletic directors out there who could learn a lot from Colorado AD Rick Georges patience. Buffaloes coach Mike MacIntyre went 2-25 in Pac-12 play during his first three seasons, but now hes beating Oregon.Florida GatorsTrending: DOWNIt has been 368 days since Florida beat Tennessee.Georgia BulldogsTrending: DOWNAt least Kirby Smarts first loss as Georgias coach was memorable.Georgia Tech Yellow JacketsTrending: DOWNMark Richt lost to the Yellow Jackets about once every five or six years as Georgias coach. The Hurricanes should be OK in Atlanta on Saturday.Indiana HoosiersTrending: DOWNWhen you havent won four Big Ten games since 2001, losing to Wake Forest in nonconference play isnt going to help your postseason chances. Now, those Hoosiers are going to have to go at least 5-4 against Big Ten foes to go back to a bowl.Iowa HawkeyesTrending: DOWNIm pretty sure theres a clause in Kirk Ferentzs new contract that would have voided his extension if the Hawkeyes had lost to North Dakota State and Rutgers in consecutive games.Kansas State WildcatsTrending: EVENThe Wildcats beat FCS foe Missouri State 35-0 in a game that was called at halftime because of lightning. If only it had stormed for the Gators in Knoxville, Tennessee.LSU TigersTrending: DOWNTigers interim coach Ed Orgeron said he would have someone in the press box devoted solely to clock management and late-game strategy. They didnt have someone doing that before?Maryland TerrapinsTrending: DOWNThe Terps had last week off and will have a great chance at starting 4-0 when they host Purdue on Saturday.Memphis TigersTrending: UPTwo years ago, Memphis quarterback Riley Ferguson was working for a fence company in South Carolina, after he walked away from a scholarship at Tennessee. Last week, he threw six touchdown passes and ran for a seventh in a 77-3 rout of Bowling Green.Michigan Staate SpartansTrending: DOWNBoy, I bet practice is fun in East Lansing, Michigan, this week.ddddddddddddMinnesota Golden GophersTrending: UPMinnesota freshman Taiyon Devers has three tackles this season -- all of them were sacks and all of them led to fumbles. Colorado State quarterback Collin Hill will probably never forget one of them.Navy MidshipmenTrending: EVENAir Force and Navy have played 48 previous times, but Saturdays game in Colorado Springs is the first time theyve played when they were both undefeated. The winner went on to claim the Commander-in-Chiefs Trophy in each of the past 19 seasons.North Carolina Tar HeelsTrending: UPTar Heels quarterback Mitch Trubisky probably wouldnt mind if his receivers played in bathrobes against Florida State. After wearing bathrobes in warm-ups to suggest that people were sleeping on UNC receivers, Bug Howard, Mack Hollins and Ryan Switzer combined for 23 catches for 313 yards with four touchdowns in a 37-36 win over Pitt.Oklahoma SoonersTrending: EVENThe Sooners didnt play last week, but theyre still sitting at the bottom of the Big 12 standings. Theyll have a chance to rebound at No. 21 TCU on Saturday.Ole Miss RebelsTrending: UPRebels coach Hugh Freeze probably wont have to remind his players that they lost to Memphis 37-24 last season.Oregon DucksTrending: DOWNSo a Duck can pull a truck -- and it can lose to Colorado.Pittsburgh PanthersTrending: DOWNWe nearly pulled the trigger on the Panthers after they lost back-to-back games at Oklahoma State and North Carolina, but were still not convinced theyre not as good as anyone else in the ACC Coastal Division.San Diego State AztecsTrending: EVENThe Aztecs didnt play last week, but star tailback Donnel Pumphrey still has 33 more rushing yards than any other FBS player.TCU Horned FrogsTrending: UPGraduate transfer John Diarse has 16 catches for 290 yards with one touchdown in four games with TCU, which is more than he had in each of the past two seasons at LSU. Maybe that LSU offense did need some tweaking.Texas LonghornsTrending: EVENAfter spending the off week evaluating his program, Texas coach Charlie Strong said he doesnt think his coaching staff needs any changes. Defensive coordinator Vance Bedford is still running the defense.Texas Tech Red RaidersTrending: EVENKansas coach David Beaty said earlier this week that there arent five humans on this Earth better than Texas Techs Kliff Kingsbury. He might not be saying the same thing after facing Kingsburys offense on Thursday night.Toledo RocketsTrending: EVENRockets first-year coach Jason Candle is picking up where Matt Campbell left off. The Rockets have piled up at least 516 yards of offense in each of their first three games and had 619 in a 52-17 rout of Fresno State two weeks ago. Toledo will get its first big test at BYU on Friday night.UCLA BruinsTrending: DOWNThe Bruins fell to Stanford 22-13 for the ninth straight time last week. Losing streaks dont last forever. Ask Tennessee.Utah UtesTrending: UPUtes coach Kyle Whittingham might want to buy a lottery ticket. The Utes are 5-for-5 on fourth down this season, and they converted four in last weeks 31-27 win over USC, including two on their winning drive.Virginia Tech HokiesTrending: UPGreat stat from ESPN colleague David Hale: Virginia Techs Jerod Evans is the only quarterback in FBS with more than 13 touchdowns and one or fewer interceptions. Only 12 other quarterbacks have done that in the past decade, including two Heisman Trophy winners, three NFL first-round draft picks and seven players who started in the pros.Wake Forest Demon DeaconsTrending: UPWho else had Wake Forest having more victories than Notre Dame, Oklahoma and USC combined heading into October?Western Michigan BroncosTrending: UPSaturdays game at Central Michigan might be the Directional U. Game of the Century. The Broncos are 4-0 for the first time since they went 5-0 in 1995 and already have wins over Northwestern and Illinois.West Virginia MountaineersTrending: UPThe Mountaineers have allowed one sack in three games. Dana Holgorsen isnt even sure that one was legitimate. He scrambled out and got back to the line.Better luck next seasonArmy Black KnightsTrending: DOWNAfter a difficult week, the Black Knights fell 23-20 in overtime to Buffalo on Saturday night. After shutting out each of its first three opponents in the fourth quarter, Army allowed two touchdowns in the final nine minutes of regulation to blow a 20-6 lead.Central Michigan ChippewasTrending: EVENThe Chippewas showed a lot of grit in rallying from a four-touchdown deficit at Virginia, but they gave up too many big plays down the stretch in a 49-35 loss. It wont get any easier in the MAC opener against Western Michigan.East Carolina PiratesTrending: DOWNYeah, NC State must not be very good. Since beating the Wolfpack 33-30, the Pirates have lost 20-15 at South Carolina and 54-17 at Virginia Tech.Georgia Southern EaglesTrending: DOWNIts OK to admit that last weeks 49-31 loss at Western Michigan didnt hurt as much after former Eagles coach Brian VanGorder was fired as Notre Dames defensive coordinator the next day.Oklahoma State CowboysTrending: DOWNFour of the Pokes final five possessions in their 35-24 loss at Baylor ended at the Bears 11, 3, 1 and 24. The Cowboys came away with three points. Thats how you lose.Oregon State BeaversTrending: DOWNIt was fun while it lasted. Look on the bright side: Oregon State lost to Minnesota by one touchdown and Boise State by two. Baby steps. Baby steps. I promise Gary Andersen will get you there.Penn State Nittany LionsTrending: DOWNWhy hasnt anyone asked James Franklin whether hes interested in the LSU job?Rutgers Scarlet KnightsTrending: DOWNThe Scarlet Knights showed a lot of fight under first-year coach Chris Ash in last weeks 14-7 loss to Iowa. The bad news: They lost star receiver/kick returner Janarion Grant to a season-ending ankle injury.South Carolina GamecocksTrending: DOWNWelcome back to reality, Gamecocks. Will Muschamp isnt going to work miracles.South Florida BullsTrending: DOWNThere goes Dalvin Cook again.USC TrojansTrending: DOWNWhat will former USC athletic director Pat Hadens legacy be 20 years (or four months) from now?Previously eliminatedEliminated in Week 3: Boston College Eagles, Duke Blue Devils, Illinois Fighting Illini, Marshall Thundering Herd, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles, Syracuse Orange, Texas State Bobcats, Vanderbilt CommodoresEliminated in Week 2: Akron Zips, Ball State Cardinals, BYU Cougars, California Bears, Connecticut Huskies, Eastern Michigan Eagles, Florida Atlantic Owls, Idaho Vandals, Kansas Jayhawks, Louisiana Monroe Warhawks, Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders, Nevada Wolf Pack, New Mexico Lobos, NC State Wolfpack, Old Dominion Monarchs, Purdue Boilermakers, SMU Mustangs, South Alabama Jaguars, Texas San Antonio Roadrunners, Troy Trojans, Tulsa Golden Hurricane, UCF Knights, UNLV Rebels, Utah State Aggies, UTEP Miners, Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, Wyoming CowboysEliminated in Week 1: Appalachian State Mountaineers, Arkansas State Red Wolves, Bowling Green Falcons, Buffalo Bulls, Charlotte 49ers, Colorado State Rams, Florida International Golden Panthers, Fresno State Bulldogs, Georgia State Panthers, Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, Iowa State Cyclones, Kent State Golden Flashes, Kentucky Wildcats, Louisiana Lafayette Ragin Cajuns, Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, Massachusetts Minutemen, Miami(Ohio)RedHawks, Mississippi State Bulldogs, New Mexico State Aggies, North Texas Mean Green, Northern Illinois Huskies, Northwestern Wildcats, Ohio Bobcats, Rice Owls, San Jose State Spartans, Temple Owls, Tulane Green Wave, Virginia Cavaliers, Washington State Cougars ' ' '