One of the more fascinating subplots in the first year of the 12-team College Football Playoff is how all of these realigned and suddenly crowded conference races are factoring into that Playoff picture.

Three weeks remain in college football's regular season, and things continue to feel as delightfully messy as ever. The SEC could end up with anywhere from three to five teams in the College Football Playoff (though the CFP committee's most recent rankings suggest three or four is more likely than five).