Throughout the fall, there are many useful reminders that the college football season is a marathon, not a sprint. Early losses can be overcome, hot-starting teams may fade quickly and any number of rapid changes might happen.
As the scoreboards hit triple-zeroes in Week 12, however, the 2022 campaign has reached a turning point.
This is no longer a 26.2-mile endeavor.
There are only 100 meters left—and Usain Bolt is not on the track.
Four programs—Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan and TCU—have the cleanest path to the College Football Playoff. Yet we have little confidence in how this race of unbeaten teams, LSU, USC and Clemson, will look at the finish.