The slate during daylight hours appears modest, but a noticeable lull arrives in mid-afternoon. There’s only one matchup of ranked teams (Missouri-South Carolina) among the games that kick off between noon and 7 p.

Another SEC showdown, possible trap games at the top and jostling in the Big 12 and ACC are on tap for Week 12.

One of the more fascinating subplots in the first year of the 12-team College Football Playoff is how all of these realigned and suddenly crowded conference races are factoring into that Playoff picture.