The most glaring difference in the 12-team College Football Playoff is unfolding this month, as conference championship games matter more than ever and no Power 4 team has clinched a spot in its respective title game yet.
Six SEC teams are still alive in the race for Atlanta and neither spot will be determined until the final week of the regular season, according to ESPN Research. The five highest-ranked conference champions are guaranteed spots in the playoff, and the four highest-ranked conference champions earn first-round byes.
Which leads to two of the biggest questions heading into Tuesday's 7 p.