Will the real North Carolina stand up? Who is on upset alert?

The Tar Heels are facing a crossroad for their season. Things looked to be going smoothly after their rise to No. 6 in the Amway Coaches Poll. An awful first half against Florida State led to a shocking loss that raised concerns about whether UNC is an ACC contender or pretender. There's still time to get back in the race, but there has to be a response this week against No. 22 North Carolina State. The Wolfpack are quietly 4-1 in the conference, albeit against middleof-the-pack competition. It may not be appreciated nationally, but this a fierce rivalry with no love lost between the programs.

Can Cincinnati or SMU make a push for the top four?

The biggest game of the year in the Group of Five pits No. 10 Cincinnati and No. 16 SMU in a matchup of the last two unbeaten teams in the American. The Bearcats have been as good as expected but with little fanfare, partially as a result of playing just once since Sept. 26. SMU is on the verge of taking the next step under coach Sonny Dykes. The winner is the unquestioned favorite to earn the access-bowl bid to the New Year's Six. By running the table the rest of the way, the winner might even have a case for the national semifinals should one or more Power Five champions play fewer games than scheduled due to the cancellations caused by COVID-19.

Everyone. It's been that sort of season. Well, not No. 1 Clemson, which shouldn't struggle with Syracuse. Or No. 2 Alabama, which owns Tennessee. But No. 3 Notre Dame can't overlook Pittsburgh, which has lost three straight by a combined 14 points and needs a win to salvage its season. No. 7 Penn State won't sleep on Indiana, which nearly knocked off the Nittany Lions in each of the past two seasons. And two Group of Five teams on the back end of the Top 25 need to watch out: No. 24 Coastal Carolina will be tested by Georgia Southern and No. 25 Marshall takes on Florida Atlantic.