Four.
That's how many teams will be invited Dec. 3 to participate in the fourth College Football Playoff.
If those invitations went out today and only undefeated teams were considered, those four slots would leave out one unbeaten among No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Georgia, No. 4 Wisconsin, No. 9 Miami and No. 15 Central Florida.
The good news: If those five schools continue to win through the end of the regular season, either Alabama or Georgia would lose in the Southeastern Conference title game.
But what about the others? If there are only four schools with perfect records on the first Sunday in December, should they automatically go? And are there not at least a couple of teams currently with one loss - Ohio State, Notre Dame and Clemson, come on down! - that might deserve a spot over lightly tested Central Florida?
What does the trendy "eye test" say? As good as Bama's been, should it lose in the SEC title game, could it be left out? And should Georgia lose to the Crimson Tide in that same title game after going 12-0 in the regular season - including a win at Notre Dame - could it be left out? Should it be?
The first CFP rankings come out Halloween night. Some of these scenarios may come into clearer focus then. These rankings won't be anything close to final, but they will be a solid measuring stick on what we might expect in the future. For instance, if Central Florida is 13th, it's doubtful the Knights can finish in the top four from outside a Power Five conference.
Also, what of independent Notre Dame, which crushed North Carolina State 35-14 on Saturday? The Fighting Irish have that 20-19 home loss to Georgia, but they've looked pretty strong since then. The Golden Domers in the Fortunate Four would certainly drive up television ratings - not that the CFP committee would ever be influenced by that, would it?
No. 19 LSU's visit to the top-ranked Tide is the only matchup this coming weekend likely to have a significant impact on the rankings, but the matchups for Nov. 11 could create much separation between true contenders and wishful pretenders.
For starters, how about No. 10 TCU at No. 8 Oklahoma? Neither is in great shape, but either could sneak in by running the table.
Also up that day: No. 2 Georgia at No. 16 Auburn. The Bulldogs' 42-7 win over Florida this past weekend was the final straw for Florida coach Jim McElwain - on Sunday, he and the university agreed to end his tenure - and as good as Auburn has been most of the season, should the Dawgs eat up the Tigers, Auburn coach Gus Malzahn might find his seat growing uncomfortably warm two weeks before Bama arrives for the Iron Bowl.
The Tide must visit dangerous Mississippi State on Nov. 11. Bama should win, but if Mississippi State gives its fans reason to ring those cowbells enough, things could become interesting.
Not that this remotely excites in November as it did in August, but Florida State is at Clemson that day, and the Tigers must win to stay in the playoff hunt. The Seminoles might need to win to avoid a losing season.
But the ultimate game that day would appear to be No. 5 Notre Dame at No. 9 Miami. Though it might not have quite the drama and discord of those old Catholics versus Convicts showdowns in the 1980s, the loser - especially if it's the Irish - is almost assuredly removed from the playoff hunt.
Of course, the storyline that should be explored between now and then is whether Ohio State's dramatic win over Penn State this past Saturday will be treated the same way the Buckeyes' loss to the Nittany Lions was last year. If you'll recall, despite winning its division and the Big Ten title game, two-loss Penn State missed the playoff in favor of the one-loss Buckeyes, who beat Oklahoma during the regular season.
The Nittany Lions don't have a nonconference victory this season to rival that one, but they did lose on the road by but a single point to the Buckeyes, which was closer than Ohio States's loss at Penn State a year ago.
Still, if Notre Dame keeps winning, it will be the outsider to watch in all of this, given its magical name and drawing power.
"We've gotten better each and every week," Irish coach Brian Kelly said Saturday. "We're physically stronger, so mentally we've established a mindset as to how we play. I think the kids are trusting the teaching. So if you take the physical, the mental and the teaching, it's a team that is getting better."
If it has gotten better enough since that narrow loss to the school formerly coached by Mark Richt to beat the school currently coached by Richt 12 days from today in Miami, the Irish just might be better enough to crash the Fortunate Four by season's end.
If nothing else, assuming it keeps winning, Notre Dame will make each successive CFP ranking must-see TV.
Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com.