The College Football Playoff selection committee judges each team by its entire body of work, and that's what we're going to do with the current résumés of the top 4-0 teams.
You won't find Wake Forest, Duke, Washington, Washington State or Utah here yet. The ACC's surprise undefeated teams have more to prove in their respective divisions, and Washington doesn't have enough from its nonconference slate. Washington State and Utah will be worth revisiting if they beat USC.
The following top 10 is a subjective ranking and is based on each team's current overall résumé to date, taking into consideration quality of wins through Week 4:
1. Clemson (4-0, No. 4 in FPI)
Best win: vs. Auburn on Sept. 9
Wins vs. current Top 25 opponents: 2 (vs. Auburn; at Louisville)
Biggest remaining obstacle: Saturday at No. 12 Virginia Tech (8 p.m. ET ABC & ESPN App)
FPI says: If the Tigers beat the Hokies, their chances of entering the bowl season undefeated will rise from 21 percent to about 30 percent.
Playoff path: Clemson can lose to Virginia Tech and still finish in the top four, but that's where the margin for error ends. Entering this week, there's a one-in-four chance that the Tigers and Hokies will meet again in the ACC title game. It would help Clemson, though, if the rest of the ACC (and Auburn) look strong late in the season. With Florida State out of the Top 25, Saturday's game in Blacksburg is Clemson's last chance to beat a ranked opponent until a possible matchup in the ACC title game -- unless other future opponents can earn their way into the CFP rankings.
2. Oklahoma (4-0, No. 3 in FPI)
Best win: at Ohio State on Sept. 9
Wins vs. current Top 25 opponents: 1 (Ohio State)
Biggest remaining obstacle: Nov. 4 at No. 15 Oklahoma State
FPI says: Oklahoma has a 62 percent chance to win the Big 12; TCU has the second-best chance, at 27 percent.
Playoff path: Just keep winning, and hope that Ohio State does the same. The Sooners have arguably the most impressive nonconference win of the season because it was on the road and in convincing fashion and the Buckeyes are still the favorites to win the Big Ten. The Big 12 looks good with Oklahoma State, TCU and West Virginia all still ranked -- plenty of opportunities for the Sooners to pad their résumé.
3. Alabama (4-0, No. 1 in FPI)
Best win: vs. Florida State on Sept. 2
Wins vs. current Top 25 opponents: 0
Biggest remaining obstacle: Nov. 25 at No. 13 Auburn
FPI says: Alabama would have at least an 80 percent chance to beat any team from the SEC East in a potential SEC championship game
Playoff path: It's not a path, it's a Crimson carpet, and it has been rolled out since after Week 1. Keep in mind that even though Florida State is 0-2, the committee will consider the Seminoles at full strength when they played Alabama, given that starting quarterback Deondre Francois played most of the game before his injury.
4. TCU (4-0, No. 8 in FPI)
Best win: at No. 6 Oklahoma State on Sept. 23
Wins vs. current Top 25 opponents: 1
Biggest remaining obstacle: Nov. 11 at No. 3 Oklahoma
FPI says: After shocking Oklahoma State, TCU moved up to eighth in FPI, its highest ranking since Week 4 of 2015, and saw its chances of winning the Big 12 nearly quadruple to 27 percent.
Playoff path: Win the Big 12 with one loss or go undefeated. TCU has been snubbed by the committee before, dropping from No. 3 to No. 6 in the final rankings in 2014. The Horned Frogs already have two road wins over Power 5 teams (Arkansas being the other). If they win the Big 12 title game, with an upset of Oklahoma along the way, they should be a lock -- barring any undefeated teams in other Power 5 conferences.
5. Georgia (4-0, No. 14 in FPI)
Best win: vs. Mississippi State on Sept. 23
Wins vs. current Top 25 opponents: 2 (Mississippi State and Notre Dame)
Biggest remaining obstacle: Nov. 11 at No. 13 Auburn
FPI says: After defeating Mississippi State, Georgia saw its chances of winning the SEC East nearly double from 33 percent to 60 percent.
Playoff path: Win the East, and beat Alabama in the SEC title game. Easy, right? Even if Georgia loses at Auburn, it has a shot at the top four if it can upend Bama in the SEC title game.
6. USC (4-0, No. 15 in FPI)
Best win: vs. Stanford on Sept. 9
Wins vs. current Top 25 opponents: 0
Biggest remaining obstacle: Oct. 21 at No. 22 Notre Dame
FPI says: Beyond the Notre Dame game, Friday night's game at No. 16 Washington State is USC's toughest remaining game. FPI projects that the Trojans have a 56 percent chance to win in Pullman.
Playoff path: First, USC has to look like a top-four team, which it hasn't exactly convinced anyone of yet. Winning on Friday would be another step in helping to change that perception of vulnerability, and this is one the Trojans need to help their CFP résumé. USC has to finish with no more than one loss, and even that won't guarantee anything, considering how strong the other Power 5 front-runners have looked.
7. Michigan (4-0, No. 17 in FPI)
Best win: vs. Florida on Sept. 9
Wins vs. current Top 25 opponents: 1
Biggest remaining obstacle: Oct. 21 at No. 4 Penn State
FPI says: Michigan has a less than 25 percent chance of beating each of Penn State, Wisconsin and Ohio State.
Playoff path: Win on the road. Michigan travels to Happy Valley on Oct. 21 and Wisconsin on Nov. 18. It can't lose both of those games and expect to finish in the top four. Even if Michigan beats Penn State but loses to Wisconsin, it still has to face Ohio State in the regular-season finale -- with no margin for error.
8. Penn State (4-0, No. 7 in FPI)
Best win: at Iowa on Sept. 23
Wins vs. current Top 25 opponents: 0
Biggest remaining obstacle: Oct. 28 at No. 11 Ohio State
FPI says: Penn State is projected to win each of its remaining games, except at Ohio State. FPI gives the Nittany Lions only a 24.3 percent chance to win in Columbus.
Playoff path: Win the Big Ten, and do it with style. Penn State lacks a marquee nonconference win to separate it from other Power 5 conference champs. Penn State doesn't play its first ranked opponent until Oct. 21 against No. 8 Michigan, and it has to turn right around and travel to Ohio State the following weekend. It's under pressure to win both of those games to avoid a tiebreaker scenario in the East division and because its résumé needs it. It's hard to imagine a one-loss Big Ten champ being left out, but that's all the wiggle room the Nittany Lions have.
9. San Diego State (4-0, No. 46 in FPI)
Best win: Sept. 16 vs. Stanford
Wins vs. current Top 25 opponents: 0
Biggest remaining obstacle: Oct. 14 vs. Boise State
FPI says: The Aztecs are favored to win each of their remaining games by at least 72 percent.
Playoff path: The rest of San Diego State's schedule will likely keep it out of the top four, but two Power 5 wins (including a road win at Arizona State) make it the Group of 5 front-runner for a New Year's Six bowl, ahead of South Florida. San Diego State's current résumé earned it a spot in this top 10 instead of Washington, which beat Rutgers, Montana and Fresno State in the nonconference -- three opponents that have combined for a 4-7 record.
10. Virginia Tech (4-0, No. 18 in FPI)
Best win: West Virginia on Sept. 3
Wins vs. current Top 25 opponents: 1
Biggest remaining obstacle: Saturday vs. No. 2 Clemson
FPI says: Virginia Tech currently has an 11 percent chance to win the ACC title.
Playoff path: Win the ACC with one loss or go undefeated. You don't have to be named Clemson or Florida State to finish in the committee's top four. If Virginia Tech wins the ACC, it would likely have at least one win over a highly ranked Clemson team (if not two), plus wins over West Virginia and against a ranked Miami team. It would depend how the other Power 5 conference champions' résumés compare, but the Hokies would certainly have a legitimate case.