This is not normal.
Historically, by mid-November, at least one Power 5 conference has played itself out of the College Football Playoff race. At this point last season, only the Big Ten (Ohio State and Michigan) and the SEC (Georgia and Tennessee) had teams with at least a 33% chance to reach the playoff, according to the Allstate Playoff Predictor.
This year, all five major conferences are still jockeying for the four coveted playoff spots, and there are twice as many teams in contention.
In the Pac-12, Washington is undefeated and one-loss Oregon still has a legitimate path. Ohio State and Michigan remain undefeated in the Big Ten. SEC king Georgia is still undefeated. Undefeated Florida State is carrying the banner for the ACC. And while the Big 12 doesn't have any undefeated teams remaining, one-loss Texas still holds a head-to-head trump card over one-loss Alabama.
How unusual is this crowded November field?
According to ESPN Stats & Information, the seven 10-0 teams are the most the sport has seen at this point in the season since the Bowl Championship Series began in 1998. According to the Allstate Playoff Predictor, there are still eight teams with at least a 33% chance to reach the CFP with just three weeks remaining until Selection Day.
Which is the perfect recipe for chaos.
And It goes beyond Tuesday night's latest rankings. Here are six scenarios that could still play out and give the committee headaches.
1. Two SEC teams
The chances of this increased when Georgia became the committee's No. 1 team Tuesday night. If one-loss Alabama wins the SEC, handing the Bulldogs their lone loss, the Tide would be in as the SEC champs. Georgia would garner serious consideration with wins against Mizzou, Ole Miss and Tennessee.
Without a conference title, though, the committee would have to agree Georgia is "unequivocally" one of the four best teams in the country, and that would be easier to justify if Florida State lost -- either to Florida during the regular season, or in the ACC title game. Then there's Texas. It's possible the Longhorns could be the fourth team in this scenario -- along with Bama, the Big Ten champion and the Pac-12 champion. If Texas runs the table and finishes as a one-loss Big 12 champ with a win over the SEC champion, it's hard to imagine the Longhorns getting a snub -- whether they're ranked behind the Tide or not.
Georgia's best-case scenario to reach the playoff should it lose in the SEC title game would be some combination of the following: anyone but Texas wins the Big 12, Florida State loses or the Pac-12 produces a two-loss champion.
2. Alabama and Texas left out
Much has been made about the importance of the Longhorns' regular-season double-digit win at Alabama in Week 2, but instead of wondering whether they both get in, consider the opposite a real possibility. It could even be a no-brainer for the committee to exclude them both if somebody other than Texas wins the Big 12 and Georgia wins the SEC title game against the Tide.
Because the committee put Texas at No. 7 and Alabama at No. 8 in its third ranking, it could also happen if Georgia wins the SEC and FSU, Washington and the Big Ten winner are undefeated champs in their conferences.
3. A two-loss contender
Just because it hasn't happened doesn't mean it can't. If Oregon loses to rival Oregon State at home on Nov. 24, but still beats Washington to win the Pac-12, don't count the Ducks out until the rest of the Power 5 conference champions are crowned.
If Georgia beats Alabama, Florida State loses and anybody other than Texas wins the Big 12, who's left? Georgia is in as SEC champ. The Big Ten champ is in. Oregon would have a top-five win against Washington, avenging its regular-season loss to the Huskies, plus an impressive win at Utah -- and it would have a conference title to separate it from contenders who don't.
4. Two Pac-12 teams
This conference has had enough trouble getting one team in, let alone two, but it can happen in the same way the SEC has a chance.
Oregon has to beat an undefeated Washington team to win the title and finish as a one-loss Pac-12 champ. The committee would also consider a one-loss Washington team that has a regular-season win over the Pac-12 champ, plus statement wins against Arizona, USC, Utah and Oregon State. That's a résumé that would rival most other contenders -- it just wouldn't include a conference title.
It's arguably even a better résumé than Georgia's if the Bulldogs finish as a one-loss SEC runner-up. This possibility would be strengthened if Georgia wins the SEC and eliminates two-loss Alabama, Florida State loses and/or a two-loss team wins the Big 12.
5. Alabama in over one-loss Texas
The head-to-head result is important, but it isn't everything. In order for this to happen, Alabama has to win the SEC, the Big Ten has to have an undefeated champion, the Pac-12 champion has to have one loss or fewer and Florida State has to be an undefeated ACC champ.
6. Two SEC teams and two Big Ten teams
This would take some serious upsets in the Pac-12, Big 12 and ACC, which is why this scenario is listed at the bottom.
In order for this to happen, Alabama and Michigan have to win their respective conferences. Ohio State's wins against Penn State and Notre Dame have the same impact they did a year ago, when the Buckeyes finished in the top four without winning their division or beating Michigan. In addition, a two-loss team wins the Big 12, Louisville loses to Kentucky and wins the ACC and the Pac-12's two-loss champion also loses the debate with Georgia.