When the calendar flips to November, it's like going to college far away from home: It doesn't matter what you were before, it only matters what you are now.
Those dismal first 15 games (and four wins) of the Brent Pry era at Virginia Tech? They don't matter: The Hokies are ACC contenders after winning three of four and dismantling Syracuse on Thursday night.
Those three .500-ish seasons for Eliah Drinkwitz at Missouri? In the past. The Tigers are 7-1 and chugging toward a "winner becomes SEC East favorite" game Saturday against Georgia.
Those brilliant showings that kept both Utah and Oregon State in the Pac-12 race despite early losses? They don't matter so much now. Both the Utes and Beavers were just about eliminated Saturday. Remember how good Duke and Syracuse looked during respective 4-0 starts? They have lost a combined seven of eight since and are just trying to rally for bowl eligibility.
Remember how it looked like Oklahoma and Texas would run away with the Big 12? Remember how awful Oklahoma State looked in a 33-7 loss to South Alabama? Forget it all. The smoking hot Cowboys just rode Ollie Gordon II to a monthlong winning streak and are part of a five-way tie for first in the conference. (Remember when Iowa State lost to Ohio in September? Yeah, the Cyclones are tied for the lead, too.) Kansas' upset of Oklahoma -- the Jayhawks' first home win over a top-10 team in 39 years -- helped to create the spectacular logjam.
Week 9 of the college football season scrambled our brains a bit. Let's unpack what we just saw and preview what should be an awfully wild November. Some of the surprising stories above might be fleeting, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy them for now!
Jump to a section:
National title tiers | CFP rankings preview
Conference races | Bowl pushes
Heisman of week | Top games
Where the national title race stands
According to SP+, here are the teams that currently have at least a 3% chance of winning the national title: Michigan 25%, Georgia 19%, Ohio State 16%, Florida State 9%, Oregon 7%, Washington 6%, Alabama 5%, Texas 3% and Penn State 3%.