Ohio State

This will not be an easy season for the Buckeyes. They replace one of the most heralded leaders in college football history, J.T. Barrett, and have several other pieces to replace. But they've already shown that they are on track to reload as usual.

The key piece here is quarterback Dwayne Haskins. He showed tremendous potential playing for an injured Barrett in parts of last year's Michigan game, and though I love what Barrett brought to the table in terms of intangibles, Haskins has the potential to significantly open up the offense's range with his arm. Throw in what may, again, be the country's best defensive line, a strong offensive front, a highly recruited secondary, a very talented receiving core, and perhaps the best running back duo in the country (J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber), and the Buckeyes fit very nicely into this slot. Oh, and they also happen to have Urban Meyer, too.

What truly makes for a difficult road to the top spot is the Buckeyes' schedule. They play TCU in what essentially amounts to a road game (neutral site, but in Texas), have road tests against fellow Playoff and Big 10 contenders Penn State and Michigan State, and end the season with Michigan at home (not to mention the Big 10 Championship, if they make it, probably against another contender in Wisconsin). Their challenge may be greater than most teams vying for a spot on this list, but should Ohio State emerge through the gauntlet unscathed, they would have an unchallenged claim to this spot.

Alabama

When picking teams for the College Football Playoff, just include the Crimson Tide. Their success has been ridiculous, having made the field in each of the Playoff's first four seasons and having won the championship twice.

The thing that is scary about Nick Saban's crew is that their offense will probably be better this year. Although they have performed well statistically in the past few years against a deceivingly weakening schedule (the middle and bottom of the SEC aren't what they used to be), their offense has looked stagnant at times in the Playoff, including in the first half of the title game last year. Assuming that Tua Tagovailoa wins the starting quarterback job, though, you can expect the Tide to start rolling on offense too. Jalen Hurts brought athleticism to a long-traditional offense, but Tagovailoa brings that with an arm and, apparently, the clutch gene, too.

Oh yeah, and they have Nick Saban. And a relatively easy schedule. They might lose a game along the way, but if they don't, they'll be in the discussion for the top spot.

West Virginia

This qualifies as a surprise, right? Though I am biased (I am currently a student at WVU), there is a buzz around America about the Mountaineers. The conventional wisdom says that if someone is going to dethrone Oklahoma in the Big 12, this will be the year to do it, and the Mountaineers will be the most likely team to do it.

No team on this list has a better quarterback entering the season than Will Grier, who reestablished himself in the college football hierarchy last year by leading the nation in touchdown passes for most of the season. Likewise, the receiving corps is also the strongest on this list (though the Buckeyes might have a deeper group), returning the nation's leader in touchdowns (David Sills III) and a 1,000 yard receiver (Gary Jennings). And to top it off, the Mountaineers feature a pair of explosive backfield options in Kennedy McKoy and Alec Sinkfield.

Despite the strength of their offense, the Mountaineers are also probably the longest shot to reach this list. I slotted them at third anticipating a record no worse than 12-1, because, simply put, the country doesn't respect the Big 12 or the Mountaineers. On the field, their defense will have to try and reload—and though I trust Tony Gibson more than most any defensive coordinator in the Big 12, their defense wasn't that great last season. And then there is the issue of late season collapses; they've haunted Dana Holgerson's squads ever since that famous Orange Bowl win, dating back to Geno Smith's senior year, and as recently as this past year.

But the Mountaineers have the offense to make it over the Oklahoma hump. If they can do that—and probably do it twice, based on the nature of the Big 12 title game—then they should likely find themselves here in the Playoff for the first time. And Morgantown will almost certainly see at least one burning couch.

Clemson

Alabama has made four iterations of the College Football Playoff; Clemson has made three. Being in the country's top four teams 75 percent of the past four years is nothing to be ashamed of, though, and it's a fair bet to count them in, as well.

The Tigers have a defensive line that is practically of NFL quality already. They have an offense that figures to improve, whether under Kelly Bryant or the heralded Trevor Lawrence. And though there are potential hurdles on their schedule, they have one of the easiest roads of any contender, playing no team that looks like a College Football Playoff contender this year (though they may meet one in the conference championship).

Nevertheless, you can usually count on Clemson to lose one game they shouldn't, and so I anticipate their being fourth on this list. But Dabo Swinney may prove me wrong, and if so, I give the Tigers full permission to let me hear it through one of their coach's wacky post-game dances.