The Big Ten has four members (No. 4 Penn State, No. 7 Michigan, No. 9 Wisconsin and No. 10 Ohio State) clustered among the Associated Press and FWAA top 10s, the only polls anyone looks at during this juncture in the college football season. And no one will be paying attention to either once the College Football Playoff selection committee releases its first rankings on Oct. 31.

But it's an indicator that the Big Ten still holds some respect around the nation despite its unimpressive non-conference resume this season.

And yet, what happens if all four of those B1G members lose at least once before the final rankings determine the CFP quad on Dec. 3? I think there's a decent chance the Big Ten could be snubbed. A lot depends on what happens in the Pac-12.

Three of the rival Power Five conferences appear to be in considerably better position based on what we've seen of the contending teams and inter-conference results. The Big Ten has exactly one semi-impressive non-con win and that's if you're willing to qualify Michigan's neutral-field win over suspension-wracked Florida. That's it.

The Penn State Nittany Lions had the schedule ammo to have very likely made it into the CFP last year had they found a way to complete their comeback at Pittsburgh. The Panthers' subsequent win at Clemson would've taken care of them. So would have the league's excellent non-con performance which clearly helped Ohio State.

The same cannot be said this year. The conference's resume is unimpressive and Penn State has no significant non-con win to show.

Meanwhile, three of the other leagues have clearly superior candidates that would very likely ace out any Big Ten member with an identical record in December.

Clemson lost at home to Pittsburgh last year, so anything's possible. But the Tiger outfit I saw whip Virginia Tech, especially its defensive front, looked totally ready to challenge for another national title. Even if the Tigers trip up once somewhere, I can't see them not making the CFP.

The same goes for Alabama in what remains an uninspiring SEC. Only Georgia and Auburn appear capable of challenging the Crimson Tide. And again, even if they stumble someplace, it's hard to imagine them not making the field of four. So, that's two spots essentially taken, given identical records to a Big Ten candidate.

Then, you have the vastly improved Big 12 which has a dominant road win over the Big Ten's Ohio State in its back pocket. Under what scenario does even a once-beaten Oklahoma not make the tournament? It would take unbeatens from the Pac-12 and Big Ten, at the very least.

You can add in another challenger who looks capable of making it into the CFP with one loss. Texas Christian already has impressive double-digit road wins at Arkansas and Oklahoma State. TCU has West Virginia on Saturday. After that, only @Kansas State poses any threat until showdown at Oklahoma on Nov. 11. It would be no surprise if both are unbeaten at that point.

So, what are we left with as the only reasonable avenue for a once-beaten Big Ten team to make it in the tournament? Watch the Pac-12 keenly. This is the only league whose candidate could be considered inferior to the B1G given like ledgers. No. 6 Washington, a CFP semifinalist last year, played uninspired ball at Rutgers and won by a mere 30-14, a potential measuring stick against a Big Ten candidate. No. 11 Washington State has a 30-27 home win over Southern California but has nothing to show from a soft-serve non-con slate and still hasn't played a road game with five of them lined up ahead. No. 20 Utah is the only other unbeaten in the Pac-12 but has done nothing of substance so far. And USC has looked tepid including the aforementioned loss at Wazu and a narrow home escape to dysfunctional Texas.

You cannot entirely rule out another West Coast team but not a Power Five member. The No. 20 San Diego State Aztecs have wins over a pair of Pac-12 opponents -- Stanford (20-17) and @Arizona State (30-20). This, amid a challenging slate to-date that includes Mountain West stablemate @Air Force (28-24), a team with which Michigan struggled at home, and Northern Illinois (34-28), a team that won at Nebraska.

All that's left for the Aztecs is MWC fodder with the only remaining road trips (@UNLV, @Hawai`i, @San Jose State) presenting minimal threat. Could an unbeaten SDSU ace out a once-beaten Big Ten candidate? The Aztecs' non-con resume would indisputably be better no matter who is the B1G contender.

Still, San Diego State is considered such a long shot -- as is any Group of Five school -- to be chosen for a tournament run by Power Five interests that it doesn't even show up among the top 30 plays on Las Vegas odds boards that extend to 300-1. In other words, Kansas State and West Virginia have better odds than the Aztecs.

In sum, I think the Pac-12 is the conference to watch for Big Ten candidates. It's safe to say that any B1G team that goes unbeaten has clear sailing to CFP inclusion. But if everyone has at least one loss? All eyes should be on the Pac-12 for comparisons. I think it's the only conference whose candidates the Big Ten's can reasonably hope to beat out in the committee's 13 sets of eyes, come December.