We nearly had chaos.

Clemson was tested by an up-and-coming North Carolina team in Chapel Hill, winning on Saturday by a single point. UNC scored a touchdown with 1:17 and went for 2 — good for you, Mack Brown, no matter the result — but Clemson stuffed the conversion run and held on.

So Clemson remained among the elite and, as it often has in the past few years, proved resilient enough to win in a tight game when the Tigers are not playing at their best.

The SEC had no such headaches Saturday as 2 teams on our College Football Playoff discussion list (LSU and Georgia) had the week off, 2 (Auburn and Alabama) blew out conference foes and 1 (Florida) easily dispatched of an FCS opponent.

Those 5 SEC teams will all start knocking each other off soon. In fact the most mouth-watering game this week takes place in Gainesville when Auburn, ranked No. 7 in the Associated Press poll, visits No. 10 Florida in The Swamp.

In general, October will be a big month for weeding out the SEC’s 5 CFP contenders. Auburn faces Florida to start the month and LSU to end it — both on the road. Florida is at LSU on Oct. 12. By our powers of deduction that means LSU also has to face Florida and Auburn this month, though both rivals have to come to Death Valley.

Also of note, apart from the teams on this list there are 4 undefeated teams left in Power 5 conferences: Wake Forest (ACC), Baylor (Big 12), Iowa (Big Ten) and Minnesota (Big Ten). Much like we told Cal last week: Beat a major team in your conference, guys, and we’ll invite you to this CFP discussion. Cal didn’t listen as the Golden Bears lost at home to then-unranked Arizona State. Minnesota’s schedule is so bad that the Golden Gophers might have to get to 8-0 before we include them here.

Here is our weekly look at the CFP contenders, broken down by groups.

Prime-time players

Alabama

How concerned should Crimson Tide fans be about their defense? It’s a legit question after Bama allowed 31 points to Ole Miss on Saturday. Alabama is 7th in the SEC and 38th in FBS in total defense. More tellingly, the Tide are last among the 5 unbeaten SEC teams in that category and have not exactly faced Murderer’s Row yet.

Georgia

A week off perhaps gave the Bulldogs a chance to peek around the nation — to try to find holes in other SEC defenses, see just how close Clemson came to losing, or just savor that victory over Notre Dame for an extra week. UGA cannot afford to look ahead to Nov. 2 vs. Florida, but we can because the Dawgs should be 7-0 heading into that game.

Clemson

It almost all came tumbling down for the Tigers. Denying the Tar Heels kept Clemson undefeated but it did not keep the defending national champions from falling to No. 2 behind Bama in the AP poll (not that it matters in a CFP context). An interesting question: With Clemson so powerful but the rest of the ACC so weak, how much slack would the CFP committee cut the Tigers if they do lose?

LSU

Like Georgia, LSU took Saturday off. In terms of body maintenance, the Tigers have it all figured out in 2019: 4 games, bye week, 4 more games, bye week, last 4 games. And the defense continues to get healthier. For all the consternation about LSU’s defense, the Tigers rank 6 spots higher on the national list than Bama, and at least the Tigers played Texas.

Auburn

The Tigers keep impressing observers and why not? Defense has been the calling card for the Tigers, but on Saturday Gus Malzahn’s bunch proved it can pile up points in a hurry as well, taking a 42-9 halftime lead over Mississippi State. However, Auburn still has to face all 4 of the other top 10 SEC teams over its final 7 games, starting Saturday at Florida.

Oklahoma

The question about Oklahoma is not so much about its roster or coaching or stats or any of that, because the Sooners stack up well with anybody there. The question is: How will this team respond when it is finally challenged? With Jalen Hurts in command they should be fine, but that question is always a bit of a mystery until a challenge does come along.

Ohio State

The same can be said about OSU: How will the Buckeyes bounce back when they face adversity against an opponent at their level? Saturday was supposed to be a bit of a road test, but the Buckeyes dispatched Nebraska with ease. Two stout defenses collide this week when OSU, No. 2 in the nation in total defense, hosts Michigan State’s 7th-ranked D.

Knocking at the door

Florida

If the Gators knock off Auburn on Saturday, they will leap into the “prime-time players” list. Florida is No. 17 in total defense and 3rd in the SEC, ahead of the more heralded Tigers (who, it must be said, have had a much tougher schedule, including the opener against Oregon). The loser of UF-Auburn will be the new best 1-loss team in the country.

Wisconsin

The Badgers, like Georgia, are a team whose biggest danger is looking ahead. Wisconsin should roll past Kent State, Michigan State and Illinois over its next few games and bring a 7-0 record into a showdown at Ohio State on Oct. 26 in Columbus. Wisconsin has the top-ranked defense in the country, allowing just 192.3 yards per game.

Notre Dame

The Fighting Irish have a contract to take an ACC bowl slot and belong to the league in every sport but football. Yet Notre Dame has been in no mood to grant its conference brothers (well, maybe step-brothers) any favors — Notre Dame ended Virginia’s hopes of an unbeaten season Saturday. The Fighting Irish face USC and Michigan during an interesting October slate.

On the fringes

Penn State

The Nittany Lions wiped out Maryland on Friday to remain unbeaten. After facing Purdue this Saturday, PSU has an interesting October stretch that includes games against Iowa, Michigan and Michigan State in 3 consecutive weeks.

Oregon

The Ducks had the week off and saw their Pac-12 stock rise again. Cal became the last Pac-12 team to lose in 2019, dropping a close one to Arizona State, so Oregon is even more the team to beat in the league. Slim chance of making the CFP, though.

Texas

The Longhorns had a bye over the weekend and cannot overlook a road trip to West Virginia on Saturday. After that the Oct. 12 game against Oklahoma has huge stakes: A loss and the Longhorns are out of the CFP race, a win gives them the inside track toward a Big 12 title game spot.

Dropped out: None