The 13-member selection committee will compose its penultimate ranking on Tuesday with the bulk of contenders having completed their regular seasons, which means any big rises or drops will reveal how the league title games might complete the puzzle.
And there will be movement this week -- starting at the top.
There was no bigger impact than Ohio State's shocking home loss to unranked Michigan, but Miami's loss to Syracuse catapulted Clemson into the ACC championship game, and Clemson's loss to South Carolina boosted the Gamecocks' résumé.
Was South Carolina's win enough to overcome head-to-head losses to Alabama and Ole Miss?