For fans and critics of the four-team College Football Playoff who have been clamoring for something different -- someone different -- the sport at least delivered the possibility at the midway point of the season, serving up a frenetic Saturday in which No. 1 Alabama and No. 4 Penn State both lost.
No, No. 1 Alabama losing a nail-biter on the road to an unranked, two-loss Texas A&M team does not eliminate the Tide from the conversation, but now Alabama must win the SEC, and it puts a dent in the league's hopes of having two SEC teams finish in the top four.