The College Football Playoff rankings reveals are fodder for debate, but when it comes to how certain teams are playing down the stretch there can be no debate - nobody, but nobody, wants to come up against these guys.
Heating up and peaking in November can not only mean you cement a place in the playoff, but it also means you can crush the hopes and dreams of others on your way to glory. Who's on a heater right now?
USC Trojans - Big Ten
After a shaky start to the season that included losses to Illinois and Notre Dame, there was an uptick in the Lincoln Riley hot seat talk, and it looked like the Trojans were headed for another dismal season.
But since losing to the Fighting Irish, USC has strung together a couple of wins and looked the best they have all season in the process. Having them ranked at No. 17 gives Lincoln Riley and his team a glimmer of hope, and with an upcoming schedule that can only strengthen their position, they are a dangerous foe to face right now.
Texas Longhorns - SEC
It wasn't too long ago that the Longhorns, Arch Manning's Heisman hopes, and any shot at a College Football Playoff spot were all written off. Two of those things have been remedied, as Texas has seen a resurgence, as has Manning's arm.
Texas is a very dangerous team right now, and with upcoming games against Georgia and Texas A&M, the Longhorns are only playing well, but they're playing a schedule that could vault them to one of the coveted top four CFP spots.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish - IND
Starting the season 0-2 rarely ends up in a team being even mentioned in the College Football Playoff rankings, but after Notre Dame dropped two close games to two highly-ranked teams, they decided to make it their mission to crush that narrative.
Since those two losses, Notre Dame has been absolutely annihilating competition, leaving a trail of destruction on their way to a No. 9 ranking, and looking stronger every week. This week's game with Pitt will be a real litmus test.
ALSO READ: The CFP Committee just sent Greg Sankey and the SEC a message
Georgia Bulldogs - SEC
All season long, Georgia has been eking out wins and making 4th quarter comebacks a weekly occurrence. They still looked like a good Georgia team, but something was missing, and they just couldn't seem to put together a complete game.
Starting with the comeback win against Ole Miss, the Georgia defense suddenly started to remember how to play, and the Georgia running game looked like the RBU Dawgs we've seen for years. All of it came together in a road win against Mississippi State.
Georgia is a very dangerous team right now that nobody should want to see coming, and there's only one thing as dangerous as a late-season Kirby Smart team on a heater, and that's our No. 1 team.
Alabama Crimson Tide - SEC
After a Week 1 loss to FSU, the entire world declared Alabama dead. The run was over, and Kalen DeBoer was going to have a very short engagement in Tuscaloosa.
Since then, we've seen an Alabama team that has more resembled a vintage Nick Saban team, and they look very, very hard to beat right now. There isn't a team in the nation that should be more feared than the Crimson Tide, and the possibility (albeit slight) of seeing them play a rematch with Georgia in the SEC Championship Game would be peak 2025 college football.