The best division in college football might be all but wrapped up before midnight Saturday.

So much for the big, bad SEC West Division.

The moves on the chessboard aren’t that difficult to clear Alabama’s road — technically, by division record — to the SEC Championship Game with 2 months remaining in the season.

While the Tide are the prohibitive favorite to win the West, and were prior to the start of the season, this week could clear more obstacles with some fairly predictable moves:

Arkansas wins at Mississippi State.

Tennessee wins at LSU.

Georgia beats Auburn in Athens.

Alabama beats Texas A&M in Tuscaloosa.

In that scenario, only 1 other team (Ole Miss, which plays at Vanderbilt) would be unbeaten. More to the point: Mississippi State, Arkansas, Auburn and Texas A&M would have at least 2 losses, giving the Tide a 2-game lead on Mississippi State and Auburn (they would have already beaten Arkansas and Texas A&M).

That would leave a 3-game stretch for Alabama against the only teams that could realistically win the division: Mississippi State (Oct. 15), at LSU (Nov. 5), at Ole Miss (Nov.12) — if all 3 continue to win (not a given).

This hypothetical, of course, makes Alabama coach Nick Saban want to puke. Because anyone can beat anyone in the SEC, and why in the hell would anyone use hypotheticals when dealing with 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds?

Because it’s real, Nick. That’s why. Barring any crazy injury (hello, Bryce Young), no one touches Alabama in the West Division.

Red River Roulette

As many as 5 quarterbacks could play in the Red River Shootout — and none has ever experienced the pressure and pageantry of the Texas-Oklahoma game.

Quinn Ewers, an Ohio State transfer, is expected to return to the Texas lineup after missing all or part of the past 15 quarters with a shoulder injury sustained in the 20-19 loss to Alabama.

Then there’s Oklahoma, where 1 of 4 — or all, depending on the severity of the moment — quarterbacks could play. Starter Dillon Gabriel, a UCF transfer, sustained a head injury in last week’s blowout loss to TCU and is doubtful.

That leaves Oklahoma with backup Davis Beville, a transfer from Pitt who played against TCU and threw for 50 yards and rushed for minus-11. If Beville doesn’t work, OU could move to junior college transfer General Booty, nephew of former USC QB John David Booty.

And if that doesn’t work, there’s always true freshman Nick Evers, the 1-time Florida commit who decommitted from the Gators after Dan Mullen was fired and signed with Oklahoma.

“It’s been a crash course for (the backups) from a football standpoint,” Sooners OC Jeff Lebby said earlier this week. “Just knowledge and understanding what we’re trying to get done.”

Or as an OU staffer told me this week, “Time to tighten up. This is where you find out who you are and what you’re made of. There are no excuses.”

Silent and steady

Welcome to the crossroads game for Chip Kelly at UCLA. Time for Books and Ball to make a statement.

It’s Year 5, and if it doesn’t happen this weekend, in the Rose Bowl against Pac-12 favorite Utah, when does it happen for Kelly in Westwood?

“They want to be great in the classroom,” Kelly said earlier this week. “They want to be great in the library, they want to be great in the weight room, they want to be great on the practice field, they want to be great on the football field. It’s kids trying to reach their full potential.”

The buildout hasn’t exactly been quick, and it most certainly hasn’t been all that successful. But here the Bruins are, moving forward and trying to begin a season 6-0 for the first time since 2005.

The win last week over No. 15 Washington was impressive, but is Washington a legit factor in the Pac-12 race? Does beating the Huskies make anyone feel any better about beating South Alabama by 1 a week earlier?

A win over Utah changes everything. The Utes not only are defending Pac-12 champions and a legitimate Playoff contender this season, they’ve been among the 3 most consistent conference teams in the past decade.

A win over Utah also goes a long way toward changing a disturbing narrative at UCLA under Kelly: The Bruins are a finesse team.

Kelly’s elite teams at Oregon were physical and punishing at the lines of scrimmage, but his UCLA teams didn’t come close to consistently showing that in the previous 4 seasons. The defense this season is more active and aggressive in the front 7, already shaving a touchdown off last year’s scoring average (currently No. 38 in the nation at 20.8 ppg) and ahead of last year’s pace for sacks (13) and turnovers forced (10).

Utah is one of 3 tossup games for UCLA to make a stand in the Pac-12, including Oregon and USC. Win 2 of 3, and the Bruins — but for an upset elsewhere — are in the Pac-12 Championship Game.

Lose 2 of 3, and questions of where Kelly and the Bruins are headed after Year 5 grow louder.

Time to respond

It took all of 1 week for the fortunes of Florida State and North Carolina State to turn to desperation.

Florida State with an ugly loss last week to Wake Forest. N.C. State with a demoralizing loss to Clemson.

The Atlantic Division formula is simple: The loser is out of the race for the ACC Championship Game. To take it 1 step further: best quarterback wins.

While Jordan Travis has made huge strides at FSU as a thrower (8 TDs, 1 INT), the Wolfpack’s Devin Leary’s statement season has been sidetracked by poor protection and the inability of receivers to win on the outside.

He has gone from Heisman Trophy hopeful to trying to stay upright in the pocket.

“It’s rough watching that offense right now,” an NFL scout told me this week. “I like (Leary) because he’s smart, and nothing fazes him. He’s a tough guy who can step into a throw and take a hit. He’s not the biggest guy, but he has a quick release and he’s accurate. He’s running for his life back there now, and you can tell his confidence is a little shaky.”

To that end, FSU star DE Jared Verse (4 sacks) — one of the ACC’s top edge rushers who played sparingly against Wake Forest because of a sprained knee — is full go. He will be a difficult matchup for struggling N.C. State offensive tackles Anthony Belton and Timothy McKay.

It can’t get worse

It was the worst game of the season at Michigan State in 2021, the worst game of the Mel Tucker era.

Now here we are a year later, with the rematch against Ohio State in East Lansing, wondering how in the world it will get better for a gutted Spartans defense.

Defense is Tucker’s specialty. It’s where he gained attention on the staffs at Alabama and Georgia, and what helped him get his 1st head coaching job at Colorado.

Introducing the Michigan State pass defense: 115th in the nation, 8 TDs, 0 INTs, 275 ypg. Needless to say, that doesn’t fit with the nation’s most dangerous pass offense at Ohio State.

After the Spartans won the Peach Bowl in 2021, a loss to Ohio State would drop Michigan State (2-4) to 0-3 in the Big Ten. Depending on the look of the loss — Ohio State won 56-7 last season, and QB C.J. Stroud threw for 449 yards and 6 TDs against Tucker’s best MSU team — the noise level of dissatisfaction will increase despite Tucker’s ironclad contract.

“It’s a production business, that’s what it is,” Tucker said earlier this week when asked about the firing of Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst. “I think it’s important to be realistic with the players and take it for what it is. That’s not something that we talk about, but who are we kidding? That’s the reality of the situation. Obviously, that’s what we signed up for.”