The road to the College Football Playoff still runs through the SEC.

Alabama and Georgia are still the best teams in the country and look like the most complete candidates to be among the 4 teams in the CFP when the postseason rolls around.

Bama did make things interesting in a 31-29 win over Florida on Saturday but, hey, The Swamp is a tough place to win, so any victory there has to count as a good one.

There were no real upsets this weekend involving CFP candidates unless you thought UCLA was a CFP candidate (you didn’t, did you?), so this week’s contending dozen stays the same, albeit in a shuffled order.

We also have to bring up 3-0 Ole Miss, which rose to No. 13 in the Associated Press poll this week. After a bye, Mississippi faces Alabama on Oct. 2. Tell you what, Rebels: Knock off the Crimson Tide and we will absolutely include you in this list next time.

These 12 teams are listed in the order that they’re ranked in this week’s AP poll. The initial CFP rankings are going to be revealed later this season.

Alabama

Whew, that was close. The Crimson Tide were outgained 440-331 and only rushed for 91 yards, a stunning stat for a game which Alabama led all the way. Perhaps more surprising, Alabama is ranked 51st in total defense through 3 games. Yes, facing Florida will dent your D’s stat line, but Nick Saban will still have a lot to emphasize on both sides of the ball in practice this week.

Georgia

The Bulldogs are 13th in the country in total defense, pretty good considering that they have played 1 conference game and 1 game against Clemson (granted, Clemson’s offense does not look so hot right now). The Dawgs also are ranked No. 3 in average points allowed, with the 2 teams above them also in the AP Top 10. After Vanderbilt this week, a suddenly dangerous Arkansas team lurks on Oct. 2.

Oregon

The Ducks took care of FCS program Stony Brook and kept rolling on offense with 436 total yards even after starting quarterback Anthony Brown got knocked out of the game. Freshman Ty Thompson did fine in his place, but now Oregon has injury questions surrounding its top QB and its top defensive player (lineman Kayvon Thibodeaux). The Ducks open Pac-12 play against an awful Arizona team.

Oklahoma

The Sooners remain undefeated without looking that convincing (we’re throwing out a blowout win against FCS Western Carolina). Oklahoma got a couple of breaks on special teams in a 7-point win over Nebraska, 50 years after the teams met in the “Game of the Century” 1971 classic. The Sooners still have questions on defense after allowing 384 yards to the Cornhuskers, 289 in the air.

Iowa

The Hawkeyes took care of Kent State and kept up their stout defense, holding the Golden Flashes to 264 yards. But the offense is still a question. Iowa is ranked 106th in FBS in total offense and averaging just 154.3 yards per game passing. A conservative offense is part of a Kirk Ferentz team’s DNA — but to beat Penn State or Wisconsin, the Hawkeyes will need to dial up a few big plays.

Penn State

Saturday’s big victory over Auburn before a “Whiteout” crowd of about 110,000 pushed the Nittany Lions up 4 spots in the AP poll. Penn State has won 7 in a row dating to November 2020, and last season’s 0-5 start feels like a lifetime ago. After facing FCS Villanova this week, James Franklin’s team faces Indiana on Oct. 2, then comes a huge Big Ten road test Oct. 9 at Iowa.

Texas A&M

What to make of the Aggies? They had no problem with Mountain West struggler New Mexico on Saturday and lead the nation in fewest points allowed (5.7 per game) after pitching a shutout against the Lobos. Zach Calzada put up fine numbers as the starting quarterback and Isaiah Spiller had his top rushing game of the season with 117 yards and a TD on 15 carries.

Cincinnati

One down, one to go. The Bearcats, the top Group of 5 program around (at least until their Big 12 membership begins) had two chances to impress outside of American Athletic Conference play. Cincinnati cashed in on the first Saturday, rallying from 14-0 down to win 38-24 at Indiana. Now Luke Fickell’s team can really put a stamp on its CFP credentials on Nov. 2 at Notre Dame.

Clemson

The Tigers just don’t quite look like themselves, which is why they’re down to an un-Clemson like No. 9 in the rankings. Clemson needed a late goal-line stop to beat a Georgia Tech team that’s still trying to convert from its recent triple-option past to a more conventional offense. The Clemson defense is still strong and has not allowed a touchdown (Georgia’s lone Week 1 TD was on an INT return).

Ohio State

Something is seriously amiss in Columbus. The Buckeyes allowed 501 yards to Tulsa and coach Ryan Day revealed that defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs was not making the calls on Saturday. Ohio State is 119th nationally in total defense, allowing 471.3 yards a game. At least TreVeyon Henderson (277 rushing yards, breaking Archie Griffin’s single-game OSU freshman record) has emerged as a weapon.

Florida

The Gators proved against Alabama that they can hang with anybody. And Emory Jones proved that he doesn’t need to apologize for not being Anthony Richardson. In any case, Florida is second in the nation in rushing offense. UF needs to keep a steady hand with the SEC games coming quickly (Tennessee, at Kentucky, Vanderbilt, at LSU) before a bye week that sets up the Oct. 30 clash against Georgia.

Notre Dame

One could argue that, of the four CFB participants in the 2020 season, only Bama looks the part in 2021 — and even Bama looks vulnerable. Notre Dame is 61st in total offense and 92nd in total defense. The Fighting Irish have been outgained in two of their three victories, including Saturday’s slog against Purdue. Don’t be surprised if either Wisconsin (on Saturday in Chicago) or Cincinnati (on Oct. 2) knocks Notre Dame out of this list.