We’re nine days away from tearing each other’s heads off.

I am, of course, referring to the first College Football Playoff Top 25 rankings, which will be announced a week from Tuesday. Let’s be honest. We’re already ripping each other’s heads off. Whether it’s LSU, Notre Dame or UCF, we’re debating résumés like they’ll stay the same the rest of the way.

That, they won’t.

But we’re now past the midway point of the 2018 season, and as expected, there are still questions galore about the Playoff picture.

Here are the four Playoff questions that I have:

1. Are we sure Clemson has a loss to give?

I’m not. In a weird way, it might’ve had a better long-term benefit if Clemson had stayed close with the ACC’s other Top-25 team. Instead, the Tigers showed no mercy and beat N.C. State into the stone age. Given how weak the Wolfpack’s schedule was, it wouldn’t be crazy if it fell out of the top-25 and we’re looking at Clemson as the lone ranked ACC team on Sunday.

My how the mighty have fallen.

Clemson might have history on its side, but this is still going to come down to résumé. Go figure that the win at Texas A&M could wind up being the Tigers’ best of the season. Clemson is going to take a significant hit if it does suffer a first loss, but unlike the past three years when it had quality wins galore, it could lose control of its own destiny.

Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

This is starting to resemble the 2017 season that Wisconsin had, when it rolled to 12-0, but it still didn’t have a loss to give in the conference championship. A one-loss Big 12 champion or even a one-loss non-SEC champion could make more sense. Speaking of teams that could steal a bid…

2. Can Notre Dame/UCF be the fly in the ointment the rest of the way?

Could this be the first year that a non-Power 5 team makes the field? Obviously if Notre Dame or UCF wins out, that conversation isn’t going anywhere. The Irish would be a lock and UCF would probably need some help, from both the selection committee and multiple losses from current contenders.

Yes, I realize that Notre Dame’s remaining schedule isn’t very good with an FPI of No. 57. Like Clemson, the Irish probably would’ve appreciated if the ACC didn’t puke on its own shoes this year. But let’s not dismiss what the Irish did to get to 7-0.

We’re talking about a team with three wins against top-25 teams, two of which were by three scores. The only top-25 win that wasn’t by that margin was against a Michigan team that’s ranked No. 6 and looking like a legitimate contender. In fact, if Notre Dame loses, I’m not ready to bury its Playoff chances. At least as long as that loss isn’t in the regular-season finale at USC.

Not everyone is on board with Notre Dame’s remaining strength of schedule:

And while I understand how badly SEC fans want UCF to lose and go away, I’m not sold that the selection committee will dismiss a hypothetical unbeaten Knights team like last year. Winning 25 straight games would make the conversation more interesting. You can debate whether 2017 should be taken into account, but the argument about Alabama’s Playoff track record is along a similar school of thought.

By the way, it’s not a given that UCF wins out. Remaining games against Temple, Cincinnati, USF and then another in the AAC Championship means there are legitimately four teams that can trip up the Knights.

If the field shakes out like it did last year and the final spot is going to a one-loss non-conference champ or a two-loss conference champ, UCF is going to be making all sorts of noise. With UCF on bye next week, we’re going to at least have an unbeaten Knights squad in the first Playoff poll.

Brace yourselves, SEC fans.

3. Will Ohio State really show the upside it needs to beat Alabama?

Confession. I had that question before Ohio State “played” against Purdue. Little did I realize that the Buckeyes would take the week off in West Lafayette. The Buckeye apologists will tell you that “everything is in front of them.” Let’s just say hypothetically that OSU wins out and makes the Playoff as this scenario suggests:

We know OSU has the downside to get smacked by Alabama, but what about the upside? We’ve been saying all year that “Ohio State and Clemson are the only teams that can beat the Tide.” That doesn’t mean they will, but just that Clemson and Ohio State had the talent to stay on the field with the defending champs.

Unless the Buckeyes start stomping teams — including that regular-season finale against Michigan — I’m going to stop including them in that group. It wasn’t just that OSU’s defense couldn’t stop anything. It was that the Buckeyes were completely undisciplined. You can’t commit penalties against Alabama and expect to win.

And think about this. Ohio State’s best win is at Penn State, which was a down-to-the-wire game against a 2-loss team that has its share of issues. What’s really selling us on the Buckeyes’ best being anywhere near Alabama’s?

Certainly nothing we saw on Saturday night.

4. How long will the 2-team SEC bid talk last?

I’m curious what the Alabama-LSU game yields in terms of Playoff discussion. If Alabama dominates LSU, we know that you can stick a fork in the Tigers. We’ve yet to see a two-loss team make the field, and it’s hard to imagine a non-conference champ being the first with a second loss that wasn’t close.

A down-to-the-wire loss might at least keep the Tigers in the distant conversation because let’s not forget we’ve yet to see anyone stay on the same field as the Tide. LSU has four wins against top-25 teams, and it could have five if Texas A&M is still ranked. There’s a good chance that nobody would have more quality wins than LSU, and if both losses are by one score against ranked SEC teams, you just never now.

But let’s say that Alabama does blow out LSU and roll to the SEC Championship. Unbeaten Alabama would have a fairly legitimate argument to have its bid clinched whether it wins in Atlanta or not, just because how dominant it’s been.

No SEC East team has another loss to give. That much we know. Whether it’s Florida, Georgia or Kentucky — my guess is still Georgia — this will be a win-to-get-in as long as the East team only has one loss. If these teams all trade losses and eliminate themselves before the SEC Championship, we’ll likely be looking at just the West winner (as long as it’s Alabama).

Here’s what I don’t question — the SEC is the only conference that’ll even sniff a two-team bid. Period.