Halfway through the college football season the contenders have become fairly clear and the most meaningful games are pretty easy to spot.
Of the top 11 teams in the latest Associated Press college football poll, 10 play each other in upcoming regular season games.
No. 5 LSU is at No. 8 Alabama on Nov. 7. No. 9 Florida State also plays at No. 6 Clemson that day. On Nov. 21, No. 7 Michigan State is at No. 1 Ohio State. No. 2 Baylor is at No. 4 TCU the day after Thanksgiving and No. 11 Notre Dame is at No. 10 Stanford that Saturday.
There will be upsets, no doubt. Other games have potential to shake-up the College Football Playoff race and other teams will no doubt be in contention. But there is also a good chance the winners of those games will comprise all if not most of the final four.
This is also the point in the season where most teams have built up enough of a resume that ranking teams on one or two big wins doesn’t quite fly. A team can show itself to be very good even if its competition isn’t. The AP voters have had their say. Time to heat check their work, but remember: This stuff will work itself out.