Four weeks before the Halloween unveiling of the first College Football Playoff rankings, 43 teams, by our count, remain alive to earn a spot in the New Year's Day semifinals.
You know as well as we do that the list below is flawed. For instance, Wake Forest and Purdue aren't getting anywhere near Pasadena or New Orleans. And 10 teams from the ACC? Hey, crazy things can happen, so we're keeping all options open.
As The Eliminator returns with its first 2017 edition, few absolute truths exist in this process. We can say for sure that no Group of 5 team stands a shot with a blemish on its record.