The College Football Playoff race is heating up with just five weeks (really?) left in the 2018 regular season. The first set of Playoff rankings is coming Oct. 30, but there is just one week of action left in October.The Playoff field is starting to thin out. Just five unbeaten teams remain, including two Power 5 conference Germain Ifedi Jersey teams in Alabama and Clemson (surprise), independent Notre Dame and American Athletic Conference rivals UCF and South Florida. A dozen one-lo s teams in the Power 5 are behind them. That leaves 17 teams with varying amounts of postseason hope, considering no two-lo s team has made the College Football Playoff.MORE: Week 9 Playoff pictureWith that in mind, here are the seven most exciting developments that will get sorted out:Alabama-LSUThis will be the first of the 2018 season, and the environment at Tiger Stadium for the showdown with No. 1 Alabama (8-0) should be nothing short of spectacular. LSU (7-1) continues to pile up impre sive victories, and both teams have a bye week to get ready for that big stage. Alabama still could get in the Playoff with a lo s here. The Tigers dont have that luxury. The Crimson Tide have won the last three meetings in Baton Rouge by an average of 7.7 points per game. Is this the game where Tua Tagovailoa Our gue s: Alabama wins, but Tagovailoa plays in the fourth quarter.Three-way SEC East raceGeorgia (6-1), Florida (6-1) and Kentucky (6-1) all are tied atop the SEC East, and Bulldogs and Gators will play the first elimination round next week. Georgia plays the Wildcats in Lexington the following week. The Bulldogs are still the favorite here, but not by as much as we thought in August. Florida has transitioned faster than expected under Dan Mullen. Kentucky has the look of a nine- or 10-win team at this point. Can Benny Snell carry this team to Atlanta? The opportunity is still out there.Our Cole Kmet Jersey gue s: Georgia still makes it to Atlanta.MORE: Clemson-Notre DameClemson and Notre Dame will jockey for position in the Playoff rankings, and the nature of the Irishs five-game arrangement with the ACC will be scrutinized as a result. The Tigers are in total control in their bid for a fourth straight ACC championship, whereas the Irish likely have to win out given Anthony Miller Jersey the one-lo s pileup behind them. We think Clemson will be ranked No. 2 in the first set of rankings on Oct. 30, but we wouldnt be surprised if the .Our gue s: It wont matter. If both teams win out, then theyll likely meet in a 2-3 Playoff matchup.The Game and the follow upThe game between Ohio State (7-1) and Michigan (7-1) could potentially be a Big Ten East championship and Playoff eliminator. Its a sequel to the cla sic played in 2016. The conference better hope that happens. That remains the best bet to get a Big Ten team in the Playoff. Iowa (6-1) has one lo s in the Big Ten West, but the Hawkeyes still have to go through Penn State and Wisconsin in the regular season. Could the Big Ten champion be left out for the third straight year?Our gue s: Michigan and Ohio State meet with 10-1 records, and the winner heads to Indianapolis with a win-and-in Playoff shot. Unle s. MORE: Rematch in the Big 12?What if the last spot came down to the Big Ten champion or the winner of a rematch between Texas (6-1) and Oklahoma (6-1) in the Big 12 championship game? West Virginia (5-1) obviously will have a say, but a Longhorns-Sooners matchup in Jerry World could be the highlight of championship weekend. Oklahoma and Texas both need to run the table, but theres a decent chance that happens.Our gue s: One of those team loses, and one finishes 11-1. We still think the Sooners might be the best bet to make the Playoff, but not by much.Pac-12 piratesWashington State (6-1) is the last team standing with one Mario Edwards Jr. Jersey lo s in the Pac-12, and that means Mike Leach news conferences will be pushed back to the forefront. The Cougars were at the heart of a earlier this season, and the schedule wont be easy with matchups at Stanford and Colorado before the regular-season finale against Washington. Plus, whos going to represent the Pac Red Grange Jersey -12 South in the conference championship game?Our gue s: The Cougars might win the Pac-12 North, but they are still on the outside looking in when it comes to the Playoff.UCF-USF, Part IIThe matchup between UCF and USF last year was one of the best regular-season games of the year. The Knights won 49-42, and the team maintains the longest win streak in the nation at 20 games. The Bulls are the other undefeated team left in the American Athletic Conference, and weve already mentioned how ironic it would be for former Alabama quarterback Blake Barnett to be the potential stopper against UCF.Our gue s: These teams meet with unbeaten records in the regular-season finale, and thats a scenario UCF needs to be rooting for.