Well, well, well, things are getting a little interesting in the world of big-time college football.

There are two things of which I’m fond when it comes to college and pro sports, and they most definitely clash. I love a dynasty and adore underdogs. I’m impressed by those who can build a program and then keep it at the highest of levels, and I also like those who fly under the radar, even though they may actually be good, then suddenly pop onto the scene in a big way.

The latest NCAA football polls have made me happy on both counts.

You certainly have your traditional powers such as Georgia, Oklahoma, Alabama, Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan in the top 10, but you also have Iowa and Cincinnati, an emerging football program that is about to be thrust into the mix in the Big XII.

And just out of the Top 10 you have Kentucky — yes, THAT Kentucky — at No. 11, Ole Miss at No. 13, Coastal Carolina at 15, and Wake Forest at No. 16.

Will some of those bubbles be burst soon? Most certainly.

Let’s take a quick at look at the remaining undefeated teams among the AP polls Top 20.

— Wake Forest is a surprising 6-0 with wins over Florida State (35-14), Virginia (37-17) and Louisville (37-34). And, quite frankly the way the rest of its schedule is set up, a 10-win regular season is not out of the picture. 

The Demon Deacons visit Army this week, followed by a home match-up with Duke and a road trip to UNC. After hosting No 22-ranked North Carolina State, Wake Forest then heads to Clemson and Boston College to close out the regular season. If the Demon Deacons could make the ACC Championship Game it would be one of the biggest stories of the year in college sports, much less college football.

— Honestly, the most impressive win on Coastal Carolina’s 6-0 resume so far is a 28-25 win over Buffalo. With road games against Appalachian State, Georgia Southern and South Alabama and home battles with Troy, Georgia State and Texas State, an undefeated regular season is not out of the picture. But even at 12-0, the Chanticleers, currently ranked No 15, have very little chance of sniffing the College Football Playoffs. The schedule just isn’t tough enough.

— Oklahoma State, now 5-0 on the year, opened the season with wins over Missouri State, Tulsa and Boise State that were much closer than they should have been. The ‘Pokes followed that up with an 11-point win over No. 25 ranked Kansas State and a 10-point win over No. 21 Baylor..

Ranked 12th in the AP poll, Oklahoma State visits Texas next week and Iowa State the week after. After hosting Kansas and visiting West Virginia, Oklahoma State closes out the season with games against TCU, Texas Tech and current No. 4-ranked Oklahoma. Run the table, and the Cowboys are in the Final Four of college football for sure.

— Honest Kentucky fans are probably saying “well, it was fun while it lasted.” The Wildcats head into Saturday’s road game at No. 1 Georgia with a 6-0 record and the No. 11 ranking in the AP poll. After facing the Bulldogs, the ‘Cats take on Mississippi State, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, New Mexico State and Louisville. Realistically, UK has a real shot at a 10-win season but must beat Vandy, NMSU and Louisville to have a shot.

— The Spartans of Michigan State are a real player in who may or may not make the playoffs, including themselves. There are three top-10 teams — Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State — remaining on the Spartans’ schedule. This week, MSU travels to Indiana, followed two weeks later by Michigan paying a visit. It will be interesting to see how Michigan State fares against the best teams on the remainder of its schedule.

— Michigan escaped Lincoln, Nebraska, last week with a 32-29 win over the Cornhuskers, improving to 6-0 on the season. The Wolverines also have wins over Washington and Wisconsin to their credit. The big games ahead are against No. 10 Michigan State on Oct. 30, at No. 7 Penn State on Nov. 13 and at home against Ohio State on Nov. 27. Go 12-0, and the Wolverines are in. The remainder of the schedule is just that good.

— Oklahoma’s impressive 55-48 comeback win over Texas has the Sooners in the picture, but they have already had four close calls this season, including a narrow 40-35 win over Tulane.

Even though the remainder of their schedule isn’t that impressive — the only team among the final six left to play that is ranked in the Top 25 is Oklahoma State — six more wins will have Oklahoma playing in December. However, just one loss will keep the Sooners out of the Final Four.

— Cincinnati may be the most intriguing of the undefeated teams. If the 5-0 Bearcats can win their last seven games and go 12-0 it will hard to keep them out of the playoffs, especially if there are only four undefeated teams. The only challenge would be if one-loss Alabama were to win the rest of their games, including a victory over then undefeated and No. 1 ranked Georgia in the SEC Championship.

Central Florida and SMU will be challenges for UC, but the Bearcats should be favored in every regular season game they have left to play. The 24-13 road win over Notre Dame will be a boost for the Bearcats that may be too much for big name schools to overcome.

— Iowa has three fairly impressive wins tucked away in its 6-0 start to the season. Iowa opened with a 34-6 win over No. 17 Indiana, then clipped No. 9 Iowa State 27-17 on the road before edging No. 4 Penn State 23-20 last week.

Although Wisconsin will be tough in three weeks, the No. 2-ranked Hawkeyes have a legitimate shot at going undefeated heading into the Big 10 Championship game against most likely either Michigan or Ohio State.

— With wins over Clemson, Arkansas and Auburn in their pockets, the Bulldogs of Georgia only have a couple hiccups to avoid on their way to a spot in the SEC Championship Game as an undefeated squad. The UK game this Saturday will be interesting, but Georgia appears to be the much superior team. Two weeks later Georgia plays Florida in Jacksonville, then two weeks after that the ‘Dogs head to Rocky Top to face Tennessee.

Honestly, I expect at least four teams to head into the playoff season undefeated, with one of those being Coastal Carolina. Next week we will take a look at the foursome I expect to be standing at the end.

Austin Bishop, AKA The Old Sports Dude, has been covering high school, college, amateur and professional sports since 1975. He is currently pastor of Great Commission Assembly of God in Philadelphia. He may be contacted by email at starsportsboss@yahoo.com.