DALLAS -- Houston followed its first loss of the season to Navy with a narrow victory against Tulsa, a three-touchdown underdog that fell inches short of tying the score in the final seconds on the road.If the 11th-ranked Cougars want to regain the dominance that carried them into the top 10, coach Tom Herman figures they have to recognize that they will get the opponents best effort. And that includes SMU on Saturday night.We are learning to be the overdog instead of the underdog, Herman said. It is interesting, you are drawing on different senses to motivate yourself. Its all pride when you are the underdog that is disrespected. There is the pride of the, `Hey, Im going to prove all of you wrong. Now its the pride of, `Hey, we have to prove everybody right.The realistic playoff chances for Houston (6-1, 3-1 American) ended with the loss to Navy. If quarterback Greg Ward Jr. and the Cougars want to rekindle those hopes, theyll need some convincing victories leading into a late-season nonconference showdown with Louisville.And SMU (2-4, 0-2) is another three-touchdown underdog.There is a little rivalry being that we are the only two teams in our conference in the state of Texas, Herman said. Theyre going to give us their best shot, and their best shot is good enough to beat us if were not hitting all our cylinders.Things to consider in the resumption of a series that Houston leads 15-3-1 since the Mustangs returned from the so-called death penalty in 1989 and lost to the Cougars 95-21:FORGET ABOUT IT: Herman says he had zero interest in news this week that the Big 12 rejected Houston and 10 other schools for possible expansion. The anti-Big 12 reaction in the state was swift, including a rebuke from Gov. Greg Abbott . Im dead serious when I tell you it consumes zero amount of my time, energy, effort or thought at all, said Herman, whose name will be prominent in high-profile coaching searches this offseason.WORKING WARD: The senior standout has more than twice as many rushing attempts as any of the Houston running backs, leading to questions of whether he is being overused. He has 105 carries for 414 yards with six touchdowns. Ward is ninth nationally at 323 yards passing per game. He has 224 attempts and a 70 percent completion rate with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions. Ive had the conversation with the offensive staff about can we win with less read plays maybe, Herman said. But if we need to win the game, well use him.SPEAKING OF OVERWORKED: The Cougars still havent had a bye, and wont until after hosting Central Florida next week. The Louisville showdown comes a Thursday after playing Tulane the preceding Saturday. And SMU is coming off a bye. Were playing football for 12 1/2 weeks straight, so its going to take its toll on their bodies, Herman said.THE FADE ROUTE: SMU stayed close for a half as a double-digit underdog against high-scoring Texas rivals Baylor and TCU. The Mustangs were even with the Bears on the road at 6-6, and trailed the Horned Frogs 6-3 at home. But Baylor, now ranked ninth, outscored SMU 34-7 after halftime for a 40-13 win. TCU pulled away for a 33-3 win after a 75-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the second half.---College Football: http://collegefootball.ap.org Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping .com) - The Calgary Flames aim to bounce back from their first regulation home loss of the campaign on Friday night when they host a Detroit Red Wings club that they swept in three meetings a season ago. Wholesale Jerseys . -- Jaye Marie Green shot a 4-under 68 on Thursday to increase her lead to five strokes after the second round of the LPGA Tours qualifying tournament. http://www.cheapjerseysapp.com/ .ca NBA Power Rankings, ahead of the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs. China Jerseys . Canada is now down to its 22-player limit, although but players wont be registered until Christmas Day. Changes could still be made as a result of a suspension or injury. NFL Jerseys China .C. -- Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Bobcats got off to a fast start, and the Sacramento Kings were never quite able to catch up. New Zealand crickets core has become so keenly introspective that neither the exclusion of AB de Villiers nor the inclusion of Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander to South Africas Test XI will affect their approach to the upcoming series. Or so they say.It doesnt change the way we approach this match. We want to focus on how we play our best cricket, New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said. Any team that did have AB de Villiers and now doesnt, its not a great thing for them. Hes the best player in the world so for them its a bit of a loss but at the same time theyve got a lot of depth. Theres so much talent in this country. Whatever team they pick will be a good team.In reality, the personnel New Zealand are up against will very much determine their strategy. They will know that the batting line-up - which includes two senior players in Faf du Plessis and JP Duminy who were both dropped last season - can be broken through more easily without de Villiers. They will also know that it will not give way like Zimbabwes did, when all it took was one short-ball barrage in the first Test and a fair amount of persistence in the second.In Zimbabwe, New Zealand had to rely on more creative bowling to try to manufacture wickets on a surface that was very tough to take wickets on, as Williamson put it. In South Africa, there will be some assistance but whether it will come in the form of swing through the humid air or turn from an early-season surface is yet to be seen. That means New Zealand will have to showcase more skill than they did in Zimbabwe but it also means South Africa will have to do the same. We know South Africa have a very good seam attack and are well balanced in the bowling department, Willliamson said.ddddddddddddAmong South Africas six seam-bowling options are swing, seam, and left-arm bowlers who will be far more challenging than the more one-dimensional pack Zimbabwe fielded. New Zealand dealt with mostly medium-pace and part-time bowlers in Bulawayo with respect and only pushed on when they were looking for a second-innings declaration that would give them enough time to win the match. But in so doing, they showed how they plan an attack.South Africa should heed that. For all New Zealands downplaying of their higher ranking - Williamson insisted they dont pay too much attention, to the Test charts - their steady improvement as a unit means they are confident enough not to simply follow the oppositions lead but to set the tone in a Test match. We know when we play our best cricket, we can beat anyone, Williamson said.Now that anyone could be South Africa - a team New Zealand have never recorded a series win against - at a place where New Zealand have only won three Tests, one since readmission and none in Durban. If New Zealand are serious about showing how much they have improved as a Test side and how little the reputations of the opposition matter to their own game, this is their chance and Williamson has indicated the want to take it. I dont think we regard ourselves as favourites. We know that South Africa are always a strong opposition, regardless of the rankings. You are constantly playing in different conditions and different countries all the time so adapting is part of the international game. 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