Seven weeks down. Seven weeks to go.
In that time, college football has gone from 130 unbeaten teams to eight. The number will go down by at least one this weekend when No. 3 Clemson hosts No. 15 North Carolina State.
The ACC Atlantic showdown likely will produce the division's representative in the conference title game as it is unlikely the Tigers or Wolfpack lose twice more after this game. The winner also takes a huge step forward in the race for the College Football Playoff field.
The other two games matching ranked opponents come from the Pac-12.
No. 11 Oregon tries to keep its momentum going after last week's overtime defeat of Washington. But the Ducks head to Pullman for a dangerous meeting with No. 23 Washington State. A win would put Oregon in great shape in the Pac-12 North and keep their playoff hopes alive. The Cougars, however, won't be welcoming hosts.
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No. 14 Washington and No. 25 Colorado are both coming off losses. Neither wants to start a losing streak as they both still have hopes of making the conference title game.
Elsewhere, there are a couple tricky road games in the Big Ten to note. No. 2 Ohio State travels to suddenly hot Purdue, while No. 7 Michigan, fresh off its defeat of Wisconsin, heads to rival Michigan State.
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