We're a long way from the final selection show for the College Football Playoff on Dec. 3. We're three weeks and change away from the first set of playoff rankings on Oct. 31.
We can still gauge what's going to happen. Sporting News will break down the College Football Playoff picture each week, with the four teams we think are in and the field behind them. Bowl projections are coming Monday.
MORE: Iowa State's dream upset is a nightmare for Oklahoma
Who's in? Here is the playoff picture heading into Week 7:
1. Alabama
The Crimson Tide won, but coach Nick Saban was talking about "rat poison" on Saturday after a victory at Texas A&M. Perhaps he's guarding against overconfidence the next four weeks, where Alabama faces Arkansas, Tennessee and LSU at Bryant-Denny Stadium with a bye mixed in. There shouldn't be anything to choke on — including rat poison — during that stretch if the Tide says focused.
2. Clemson
Kelly Bryant suffered an injury, but Dabo Swinney said it's not serious. The Tigers travel to Syracuse next week before a bye, and there's no reason to believe they won't get to the final week of October with a 7-0 record.
3. Penn State
Penn State has to work some things out in the running game, but they get to that with Saquon Barkley and an-increasingly efficient Trace McSorley. The Nittany Lions also have a bye week to prepare for a two-week stretch against Michigan and Ohio State that will shape this playoff run. The Nittany Lions' defense continues to improve, too. Right now, they are the best bet to disrupt Clemson-Alabama III.
4. Washington
We kind of wanted to put Georgia here, but we'll go with a College Football Playoff rematch against Alabama. Washington continues to take care of business in the Pac-12, and that showed in another victory against Cal. They haven't allowed more than 16 points in a single game, and they'll have the benefit of a huge showdown with Washington State, followed by another Pac-12 championship appearance, if they can deliver. It doesn't matter what time they play.
MORE: How Oklahoma loss affects playoff race
The field
ACC
Unbeatens: Clemson, Miami
Contenders: Miami made its presence felt with a dramatic last-minute victory that effectively knocked Florida State out of the College Football Playoff hunt for good. N.C. State and Virginia Tech remain the best one-loss teams in the conference. Clemson is at N.C. State and Virginia Tech is at Miami. Both matchups are Nov. 4.
Big Ten
Unbeatens: Penn State, Wisconsin
Contenders: Wisconsin keeps taking care of business and has a clean look in the Big Ten West. Ohio State has outscored its last four opponents 210-42 and looks like a sound bet out of the one-loss crowd. Michigan dropped from the ranks of the unbeaten with a 14-10 loss to Michigan State, and both of those schools fall to the one-loss crowd with little to no margin for error.
MORE: Spartans seized on Michigan's identity crisis
Big 12
Unbeatens: TCU
Contenders: TCU is the lone unbeaten in the conference, and that's a potential problem for the conference knowing Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech are the only one-loss teams left. The Horned Frogs could be 9-0 when they face the Sooners on Nov. 11. They might have to be 9-0.
Pac-12
Unbeatens: Washington, Washington State
Contenders: The Apple Cup should be a lot of fun, because a spot in the Pac-12 championship could be on the line. The Huskies are business as usual right now, and remember four of their last five games at home. Washington State wasn't trapped by success in an impressive victory at Oregon. USC remains the best bet of the one-loss teams heading into next week's matchup against Utah.
SEC
Unbeatens: Alabama, Georgia
Contenders: The SEC comes down to a three-team race among Alabama, Georgia and Auburn, and the Tigers are the X-factor here because they play both teams in the regular season. Assuming everybody continues to take care of business, the drama should continue to build heading into that Auburn-Georgia matchup on Nov. 11.
MORE: Miami's Malik Rosier prove himself on the big stage
The rest
Contenders: Notre Dame is 5-1, and that one-score loss to Georgia doesn't look so bad anymore. They'll get a chance to prove their worth against USC in South Bend on Oct. 21. The Group of 5 unbeatens include UCF, South Florida and Navy along with San Diego State.
