At this time a year ago, LSU beat Clemson 17-10 in a game that prematurely pushed LSU to the forefront of the College Football Playoff conversation on Labor Day weekend. It was a statement nonconference win against what many believed would be an elite Clemson team.

This year produced another LSU win over Clemson, again catapulting LSU into the national title conversation — only with a decidedly different feel to it under first-year coach Lane Kiffin.

This LSU team looks like it has staying power — and the Tigers are working to perfect it.

After embarrassing Clemson 51-10 on Saturday night, Kiffin told his backups on defense that “they did not perform up to our standard and they let [Clemson] go down and score.”

“I spend a lot more time with them on that because now they’re going to walk out of there, and everybody’s going to tell them how great they are, and he’s going to move them way up in some rankings and all that off of one game,” Kiffin said, nodding towards a sportswriter in his postgame news conference. “So sure that happened last year, and that doesn’t mean anything. They’ve got to go back and work and improve each week.”

LSU is one of five SEC schools that would be in the College Football Playoff if it were today, based on the latest top-12 projection from ESPN. Texas, Georgia, Alabama and Ole Miss join LSU. In the ACC, though, Miami stands alone after the league’s 1-5 start against Power 4 opponents. The Big 12 is currently banking on its conference champion to slide into the bracket, and the Big Ten?

Well, let’s put one more second on the clock to think about it before Michigan hosts Oklahoma and Ohio State heads to Texas.

Below you’ll find one team in the spotlight for each of the Power 4 leagues and another identified as an enigma — a team that is quietly brewing with potential but is still impossible to figure out. This will be your weekly snapshot of where every team in each Power 4 conference stands, along with the top Group of 6 contenders and Notre Dame. As more games are played, we’ll begin to separate the true bubble teams from the contenders and teams that have been eliminated.

Reminder: This will change week-to-week as each team builds — or busts — its résumé.

Jump to a conference:
ACC | Big 12 | Big Ten
SEC | Independent | Group of 6
Bracket

ACC

Spotlight: Miami. The Hurricanes have separated themselves from the rest of the ACC with a dominant win at Stanford — and they did it on what was otherwise the worst opening week in the history of the conference. The league went 1-5 against other Power 4 opponents and had a minus-80 scoring margin in those games — both the worst in league history. Miami, though, looked capable of competing for the national title again and beating Notre Dame, which struggled against Wisconsin before pulling away in the second half. And with the way the rest of the league is playing, Notre Dame on Nov. 7 might be the next ranked opponent the Canes face.

The enigma: Louisville. The Cardinals pushed a top-10 SEC team to the brink, forcing Ole Miss to win on a field goal as time expired. Even with the loss, Louisville stated its case as a potential challenger in the ACC, taking the first important step in answering some questions about new quarterback Lincoln Kienholz and four new starting offensive linemen. Louisville has a super-short turnaround, as it hosts Villanova on Friday before another big game against SMU on Sept. 19. Miami and Louisville don’t play during the regular season this year, so the game against SMU might be the Cardinals’ only other chance to impress the selection committee against a ranked opponent during the regular season.

If the playoff were today

Would be in: Miami

Big 12

Spotlight: Texas Tech. With the Big Ten, SEC and Notre Dame eating up most of the spots in the projected top 12 this week, the Red Raiders needed the CFP rules to earn a spot in the field. As the projected Big 12 champ this week, Texas Tech bumped No. 11 Texas A&M out of the field and took the No. 11 seed. A 33-10 win against Abilene Christian wouldn’t exactly impress the selection committee members, as FCS opponents are highlighted in the room for all of the wrong reasons. Quarterback Will Hammond made his return from a knee injury after the departure of Brendan Sorsby following this summer’s gambling saga, and former Boston College quarterback Tommy Castellanos, who was a receiver in NFL rookie minicamp with the Miami Dolphins but never joined the roster, also played. Saturday’s trip to Oregon State followed by a Friday night home game against Houston could lend some substance to the Red Raiders’ résumé.

The enigma: Kansas State. Those within the program believe this could be a special season under first-year coach Collin Klein, a familiar face after a standout career as a Wildcats quarterback and later as an assistant coach. What can fans take, though, from a drubbing of Nicholls other than that Kansas State can pour 71 on an FCS team? Not much other than if the Wildcats can keep it up against conference competition, this team will be reminiscent of its head coach’s glory days in 2012, when Klein was a Heisman trophy finalist leading the Wildcats to the Big 12 title.

If the playoff were today

Would be in: Texas Tech

Big Ten

Spotlight: Indiana. The Josh Hoover era has officially begun, and no one is questioning the new Hoosiers quarterback’s toughness following images of his bloody nose after his helmet was ripped off against North Texas. His chin strap was stained red and blood dripped down his face during a 52-16 win. Undeterred, he threw for four touchdowns and had no turnovers, which had been a concern while he was at TCU. The defending national champs seem capable of making another playoff run, but the back half of the schedule will determine their place in the pecking order. The Hoosiers won’t face a ranked opponent until Oct. 17 against Ohio State.

The enigma: USC. The Trojans have quietly played two games already and looked impressive — albeit against San José State and Fresno State. Quarterback Jayden Maiava has been electric, the Trojans are putting together complete performances and the defense looked strong against Fresno State under new coordinator Gary Patterson. USC should be undefeated heading into its Sept. 26 game against Oregon, which starts a key stretch against three straight ranked opponents, including Washington and Penn State. If USC is going to make the playoff for the first time, consistency will be key against elite competition. But it’s going to be another month before anyone knows how seriously to take the Trojans.

If the playoff were today

Would be in: Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana

SEC

Spotlight: LSU. Wow. There might not have been a more complete performance in the country in Week 1. Is LSU that good, or is Clemson that bad? It was the question of the week, and time will tell, but early evidence clearly points to LSU as a national title contender. Quarterback Sam Leavitt led an offense that racked up 19 explosive plays, 38 first downs and 644 total yards. Everything from the playcalling to the execution looked in midseason form — quite a feat for a team featuring 48 players from the transfer portal and embroiled in a national legal debate over college eligibility. LSU will have a chance to fine-tune some things on Saturday when it hosts Louisiana Tech before what’s going to be one of the biggest games of the season when the Tigers head to Ole Miss on Sept. 19.

The enigma: Tennessee. Faizon Brandon, a true freshman starting at quarterback, lit up the scoreboard and Vols fans’ expectations Saturday when he accounted for five touchdowns in his first collegiate start. But it was against FCS Furman, not Texas, which is looming later this month. The Vols will get a much better test on Saturday against Georgia Tech, a respectable opponent that has had some time to recover from its tough 14-13 loss to Colorado in the season opener. According to ESPN Analytics, Tennessee has the ninth-best chance in the conference to reach the SEC title game, and the No. 20 chance to reach the CFP (17.3%).

If the playoff were today

Would be in: Texas, LSU, Georgia, Alabama, Ole Miss

Independent

Would be in: Notre Dame. The first half wasn’t pretty — and there’s plenty to work on — but the Irish got a gut-check moment against Wisconsin in Lambeau Field on Saturday that not a lot of other title contenders did. The defense — particularly in the secondary — lived up to the hype as one of the most elite units in the country, but the offense was pedestrian at best before finding its stride in the second half. This year, Notre Dame is guaranteed a spot in the CFP as long as it finishes in the committee’s top 12 on Selection Day. The Irish would have to collapse to be excluded, but if they were to lose to both BYU and Miami, they would again open the door for debate.

Group of 6

Spotlight: Boise State. The Broncos pushed Oregon to the fourth quarter before losing 34-27, but the selection committee also considers how teams lose, and this could still help them if the group is comparing Boise State with another contender that got pummeled by a playoff team. Boise State currently has the best chance of any Group of 6 team (17.5%) to reach the playoff, according to ESPN Analytics. Boise State, which is now in the Pac-12, also has the second-best chance in the country behind Miami to win its respective league (56.1%). This year the G6 representative doesn’t have to win its conference — it just has to be the committee’s highest-ranked team. The loss to Oregon won’t hurt the Broncos in the room.

The enigma: Memphis. The Tigers have a chance to move from this category to the spotlight next week if they can win at Boise State on Saturday. It’s going to be a critical game in the G6 race, and Memphis has already made a statement with its season-opening win at UNLV. The Rebels squandered a 14-7 halftime lead, though, and had some self-inflicted wounds but also couldn’t handle the Memphis defense in the fourth quarter. If the Tigers can play that way against Boise State on Saturday, it could earn them a key head-to-head win that could come into play on Selection Day.

If the playoff were today

Would be in: Boise State

Bracket

Based on the rankings in this week’s projection, the seeding would be:

First-round byes

No. 1 Ohio State (Big Ten champ)
No. 2 Texas (SEC champ)
No. 3 Miami (ACC champ)
No. 4 LSU

First-round games

On campus, Dec. 18 and 19

No. 12 Boise State (highest G6) at No. 5 Notre Dame
No. 11 Texas Tech (Big 12 champ) at No. 6 Georgia
No. 10 Alabama at No. 7 Ole Miss
No. 9 Oregon at No. 8 Indiana

Quarterfinal games

Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 30, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic and Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential on Jan. 1.

No. 12 Boise State/No. 5 Notre Dame winner vs. No. 4 LSU
No. 11 Texas Tech/No. 6 Georgia winner vs. No. 3 Miami
No. 10 Alabama/No. 7 Ole Miss winner vs. No. 2 Texas
No. 9 Oregon/No. 8 Indiana winner vs. No. 1 Ohio State