The BCS is officially in the rearview mirror and the new College Football Playoff is just down the road. Statements were made by several teams this past weekend, but which teams are for real? Here’s the contenders and pretenders after the fourth week of games.

Contenders

Alabama Crimson Tide
Week 4 result: Defeated Florida, 42-21

Here’s the deal: Alabama has been ranked in top five all season, I get that. But without any real competition thus far, the jury was still out on how the Crimson Tide would handle facing tougher competition in the SEC. If this weekend was of any indication, it doesn’t look like they’ll have any trouble at all. Alabama dominated Florida in a 21-point victory that brought on the emergence of Blake Sims as one of the SEC’s best quarterbacks. The Gators secondary did give him a few favors, but the senior quarterback threw perfect passes left and right, mostly to star wide receiver Amari Cooper, who hauled in 10 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns. Everyone knew about the defense and the run game for Alabama, but if this passing attack can keep putting up monstrous numbers, it’s hard not to imagine the Crimson Tide in one of those four playoff spots.

Mississippi State Bulldogs
Week 4 result: Defeated LSU, 34-29

This was never a game that Mississippi State would win. In the past, the Bulldogs have been the constant tease as they build up hype during the pre-season and first few weeks of the season, then only to fall short in a big game like a road matchup against LSU and drop back into the pack of average SEC teams. Well, not this year. The Bulldogs marched into Tiger Stadium and dismantled LSU in a night game, giving the Tigers just their fourth loss in a night home game during Les Miles’ tenure. Quarterback Dak Prescott looks like the real deal and with Dan Mullen as head coach, he looks like Mississippi State’s version of Tim Tebow. But the Bulldogs are much more than Prescott. Josh Robinson and Jameon Lewis round out the offense, while the defense has really come around, thanks to the suffocating presence of the Bulldogs’ defensive line. Mississippi State broke a 17-game losing streak to LSU and made a statement with their Week 4 win.

RELATED: Week 4 recap: What we learned about every SEC West team

Auburn Tigers
Week 4 result: Defeated Kansas State, 20-14

Until this weekend, we knew everything about Auburn’s offense, but the same couldn’t be said for their defense. They looked iffy in the first half of the season-opener against Arkansas, but eventually shut the inferior Razorbacks squad down in the second half. Following that game, we discovered nothing in their matchup against a cupcake San Jose State team. So it was Week 4 where we would see what the Tigers’ defense was made of. And based off their Week 4 performance against Kansas State, it’s safe to say it was impressive.

Kansas State is certainly no slouch all the way out in the Big 12. The Wildcats boast a dynamic quarterback-wide receiver duo in Jake Waters and Tyler Lockett. So what did Auburn do? They shut them down. Waters, a dual-threat quarterback, only passed for 245 yards and two interceptions, while running for just minus-7 yards. Lockett, on the other hand, was kept in check all night, catching only six passes for 45 yards. Auburn proved last Thursday night that even in a hostile road environment, they have the ability to make the plays necessary on defense and can rise to the occasion when needed. This kind of balance for Auburn on both sides of the football makes the Tigers very dangerous in the SEC.

Pretenders

Florida State Seminoles
Week 4 result: Defeated Clemson, 23-17 (OT)

The FSU Seminoles ultimately survived their rivalry game against Clemson without Heisman trophy winner Jameis Winston, but it’s clear that FSU is not the team of last season, even with Winston. Defensively, things are looking shaky for the Seminoles who surrendered 407 yards to a Clemson offense led by a true freshman quarterback. The Tigers reached the red zone on seven of its 15 drives and were a fumble away from winning the game late in the fourth quarter. There’s no question that FSU has a talented offense, but after another close win, it’s looking like FSU is much more vulnerable than last season after losing key pieces from their championship defense.

LSU Tigers
Week 4 result: Lost to Mississippi State, 34-29

In theory, LSU could likely get into the College Football Playoff as a one-loss SEC team, but at this point it seems highly unlikely. It’s clear after their loss to Mississippi State this past weekend that LSU simply doesn’t have the consistency needed at quarterback to make a serious run at the SEC Championship. Brandon Harris looked sharp in his time on the field and gave the offense some much-needed energy, but to expect a true freshman like Harris to lead a team on an undefeated stretch through LSU’s gauntlet of a schedule is highly improbable. With the young talent LSU has, they’re more than likely a year away from being a real contender for the CFP.