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Injuries, specific plays and single-game results drastically affect the college football season, and sports fans love to debate what we cannot know.

If one single thing had played out differently, how would that have altered what we saw?

During the 2017 campaign, several championship contenders fell short of the ultimate prize and can point to a particular moment where things went wrong. The four College Football Playoff qualifiers can identify the biggest positive outcome of the year.

Additionally, a couple of wins could've saved a head coach. And if he had not been fired, the carousel might've looked enormously different.

Please be aware that these are not connected sequences. Each scenario is discussed independently of the others.