The first month of the college football season is in the books, and a total of 18 unbeaten teams remain in the FBS heading into October.
Believe it or not, there's more to the season than Clemson and Alabama. A few contenders are knocking on that door, and a few other programs are on the brink of collapse after just one month.
MORE: SN's Week 6 college football rankings
Sporting News takes a closer look at 10 storylines that will define the second month of the season:
Red River Showdown
The Oct. 12 showdown between Oklahoma and Texas might be the first of two installments. It's Jalen Hurts' first look at the rivalry and a chance for the quarterback to make a definitive Heisman statement after a blistering first month under Lincoln Riley's tutelage. Texas, meanwhile, will try to avoid two-loss elimination as far as the College Football Playoff race is concerned. Ehlinger averaged 331.5 passing yards and 57 rushing yards with nine total touchdowns in the two meetings last year. He'll be ready to go in what should be an epic fourth matchup between Riley and Tom Herman.
USC-Notre Dame fallout
Notre Dame (3-1) and USC (3-2) meet on Oct. 12 in South Bend in a game that will be more about the loser. If the Irish lose, they'd effectively be knock from the Playoff race. If USC loses, then the Trojans would be 3-3 and the Clay Helton hot-seat talk would practically burst into flames alongside the Urban Meyer-to-L.A. rumors. Notre Dame has won the last three meetings against the Trojans at Notre Dame Stadium.
Heisman race
We mentioned the Heisman race, and that storyline between Hurts and Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa is only going to heat up in the second month of the season. Hurts has 1,738 yards of total offense with 17 total touchdowns. Tagovailoa has 1,763 total yards and 25 total touchdowns. The former teammates' statlines will continue to garner comparisons, and that competition figures to heat up. Will Tagovailoa win the Heisman this time? Or will he finish second to an Oklahoma quarterback again? Ohio State's Justin Fields, LSU's Joe Burrow and Wisconsin's Jonathan Taylor also are in the mix. So where's Trevor Lawrence?
MORE: Lawrence meets the Clemson standard that matters: Win
Clemson's resume
Clemson has won 20 consecutive games, but the Tigers are being picked at in terms of the Playoff race because of the overall strength of the ACC. Lawrence's numbers aren't in the Heisman neighborhood, but he made the plays when necessary in a 21-20 victory against North Carolina. The Tigers have a bye week before facing Florida State, Louisville and Boston College to close out October. Clemson might be 8-0, but don't be surprised if that translates to No. 2 or No. 3 ranking when the first Playoff rankings are unveiled.
LSU-Alabama buildup
Alabama and LSU don't meet until Nov. 9, but the buildup will increase with each week in October and reach a peak if both can get out of the month undefeated. The prospects of a Tagovailoa-Burrow shootout in Tuscaloosa is enticing. The Crimson Tide have Texas A&M on the road before home games against Arkansas and Tennessee. LSU has a tougher road with Florida, Mississippi State and Auburn, but the showdowns against the Gators and Tigers are in Baton Rouge. Alabama-LSU has "Game of the Year" written all over it — as of now. We just need both teams to get through the month without a loss.
Group of 5 scramble
Who gets the Group of 5 bid in the New Year's Day 6? Four unbeaten Group of 5 teams remain in Boise State (4-0) Appalachian State (4-0), SMU (5-0) and Memphis (4-0), the last two of which meet on Nov. 2. UCF has one loss and could still be in the mix by the end of the season.
Michigan meltdown?
You saw the reaction after Michigan's 35-14 loss at Wisconsin on Sept. 21. That's the Jim Harbaugh factor at work. Michigan recalibrated with a 52-0 win against Rutgers where Shea Patterson finally looked comfortable in Josh Gattis' new offense, but there are real tests looming. Michigan plays three ranked teams in October in Iowa, Penn State and Notre Dame. The games against the Nittany Lions and Irish could present Harbaugh with two more opportunities to knock off a top-10 team. Best-case scenario? Michigan enters November with one loss. Worst case? The Wolverines have four losses, and the Harbaugh exit-to-NFL rumors get out of control.
MORE: OSU looks like college football's most complete team
Who challenges Ohio State?
All that Michigan drama could peak when Ohio State comes to Ann Arbor at the end of the regular season. The Buckeyes are the class of the Big Ten, and they face Michigan State and Wisconsin in Columbus in October in must-see showdowns. The team that might be best-equipped, however, took the Buckeyes to the brink each of the last two seasons: Penn State has the look of a top-10 team, and it faces three ranked teams in October in Iowa, Michigan and Michigan State. Penn State visits Ohio State on Nov. 23. That might be bigger than "The Game" with Michigan the following week for the Buckeyes.
Pac-12 elimination
The Pac-12 has no unbeaten teams remaining, and the conference's Playoff prospects aren't looking good heading into October. Several one-loss teams could make a run, but the best bet for a Playoff team might come from the Oregon-Washington game on Oct. 19. The Ducks could be forgiven for the early-season loss against Auburn, and Washington seems to have refocused after losing to Cal. Other teams could contend to win the conference, but the Huskies and Ducks — which have both been to the Playoff — are the only serious contenders left in the conference.
Angst on Rocky Top
How low can the Vols go in October? That will be worth monitoring, knowing the 1-3 team plays Georgia, Mississippi State, Alabama and South Carolina in October. A split in those games seems like the best-case scenario; with each loss, the heat will increase around second-year coach Jeremy Pruitt. The scores matter here, considering the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide beat the Vols by an average of 31.5 points per game last season.
