History always remembers the champion, but teams that embrace the spoiler role can influence which programs actually have an opportunity at playing for a title.

Especially in college football's new divisionless era, all league games now carry extra weight.

Since the four remaining power conferences have at least 16 members, a true round-robin is nowhere close to possible. Every loss stings more in the league standings, even if the expanded College Football Playoff offers more room for overall forgiveness.

The following teams are not viewed as front-runners in Power Four leagues, but they quietly may be contenders or have numerous opportunities to spring a big upset that alters conference and/or national races.

Auburn Tigers

To begin the season, Auburn plays five straight home games. The toughest opponent within the first four outings will presumably be Cal or Arkansas, so the Tigers have a legitimate shot at a 4-0 record.

But then, the schedule is a double-edged sword. Oklahoma comes to town before Auburn heads to Georgia. After an idle weekend, the Tigers head to Missouri and Kentucky.

The challenge, of course, is the level of talent in those opponents. Georgia will likely be the preseason No. 1, while OU and Mizzou may both be top-15 teams. Kentucky will probably fall in the 20s of a preseason poll or narrowly miss yet receive numerous votes.

Add the Iron Bowl against Alabama in the finale, and Auburn's conference slate is about as packed as you'd expect.

Barring a surge, there will be losses—and several, probably. Nevertheless, the Tigers can throw a compelling wrench in the SEC standings with an upset or two.

Florida Gators

Similar to Auburn, the schedule is a "do you want the good news or the bad news?" kind of situation for Florida.

If you follow offseason talk, you've probably heard the concern about head coach Billy Napier's job security in Gainesville. On the heels of a disappointing 5-7 year, he holds an 11-14 record and enters a campaign with a late-season gauntlet—Georgia, Texas, LSU, Ole Miss and Florida State in five November weeks—on the horizon. That's the bad news.

On the other hand, it might actually save his position.

The shine on Napier's once-signature win at Tennessee last season diminished as UF ended with five straight losses. That possibility clearly looms again, but Napier could change the tenor of this conversation if the Gators snap their skids against UGA or FSU, win at Texas or prevent LSU or Ole Miss from reaching the CFP.

Florida also takes on Miami, Texas A&M, Tennessee and Kentucky in this season stacked with meaningful games.

North Carolina State Wolfpack

North Carolina State has a fascinating outlook. It's less about what you notice on the Wolfpack's 2024 schedule than what is not there.

NC State takes on Tennessee in Charlotte during the opening week and travels to Clemson in Week 3. Those are marquee games, for sure. The rest of the schedule just doesn't have a similar kind of opponent.

You don't see Florida State or Miami. There's no Louisville or SMU. Duke and North Carolina are on the docket but don't happen until November. Imagine the hypothetical of NC State knocking off Clemson, and the Pack may be undefeated in the ACC entering the final month.

Given the focus on Clemson, FSU and Miami, you probably haven't considered that possibility much about this season's ACC.

Virginia Tech Hokies

Also not on NC State's schedule? Virginia Tech, the roster with the country's fourth-most returning production, per ESPN.

It may be wise to keep a close eye on the Hokies.

Virginia Tech gets a crack at rival Miami on a Friday night in September and hosts Clemson in November. Sweep that duo, and the Hokies could find themselves in a very advantageous spot. In theory, Miami and Clemson would be a strong pair of wins for ACC tiebreakers.

Virginia hasn't appeared in the ACC Championship Game since 2016, but it certainly has a path to Charlotte in 2024.

West Virginia Mountaineers

West Virginia is retooling on defense, but its productive scoring attack is largely intact after averaging 31.5 points last season.

Dual-threat quarterback Garrett Greene threw for 2,406 yards, rushed for 772 and totaled 29 touchdowns to four interceptions. Led by left tackle Wyatt Milum—a potential All-American blocker—the Mountaineers return five experienced offensive linemen, too.

That might be bad news in the Big 12.

West Virginia's best-case scenario is competing for a conference title. Even if the 'Eers aren't at that level, though, the first two months of the regular season are loaded with impactful games.

Penn State has CFP aspirations, but WVU could put a hefty dent in those dreams in Week 1. Kansas, Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Kansas State and Arizona are legitimate Big 12 threats, and the Mountaineers play that quintet in five straight games across six weeks from Sept. 21 to Oct. 26.

By the end of October, we'll have a clear idea of West Virginia's upside. We also might see a few teams struggling to stay relevant, partially as a result of WVU putting a notch in their loss column.

Wisconsin Badgers

For several big-name championship hopefuls, the road to a Big Ten or national title will travel through Wisconsin.

Alabama's first road contest of the season—and Kalen DeBoer's tenure—will happen at Camp Randall Stadium in mid-September. Penn State closes October at Wisconsin, which also hosts Oregon in mid-November.

The bookends are especially notable.

Alabama will be watched closely as the post-Nick Saban era begins, and a loss to Wisconsin might set off panic bells in Tuscaloosa. Meanwhile, Oregon is viewed as a top-tier Big Ten contender. Dropping a conference game so late in the season could be crushing in that title race.

Throw in clashes at USC and Iowa, and the Badgers have plenty of potentially impactful games on their regular-season slate.