The other conference without divisions, the Big 12, is on the verge of chaos as well. If SMU manages to win out, including an upset in Cincinnati on November 20, they would most likely knock the Bearcats out of the top two and force a rematch of last week's thriller against Houston. Cincinnati is making the best case by a Group of 5 team since the start of the College Football Playoff era, but their spot in the American Championship Game is far from secure. Plenty of teams are walking a fine line between making a playoff push and spending the first week of December on the couch. While some are just about certain to make it-Utah State and Fresno State have already overcome most of the competition, for example, and Utah took down each of their three pursuers in their last four games-most teams are still vulnerable if the final weeks remain as upset-heavy as the first two months have been.

November brings with it rivalries, top-10 showdowns, and perhaps most importantly, the tricky calculations of which teams will emerge from the fray to take part in their conference championship games. With Georgia locking up a virtually uncontested SEC East title with their definitive, 34-7 win over Florida last week, the stretch run of the season is now fully underway.