Despite all the posturing that comes with the College Football Playoff rankings, the final results from the committee tend to be rather formulaic.

Some precedent is set (conference champions don’t always get in, strength of schedule is key) four years into the CFB Playoff era, and that allows us to parse the playoff picture before the release of the initial rankings in October. 247Sports is taking the idea of early examination a step forward this year by breaking down the playoff picture before a game is even played. Specifically, we're setting out to determine which teams have a realistic opportunity to reach the CFB Playoff. To do so, we looked at four indicators of past playoff results (rankings based off yearly preseason coaching poll), which you can see below.

- A program must have recruited at least one 247Sports Composite five-star within the last four cycles. Every championship game participant and playoff team the last 16 years has had at least one, and it's a critical measure to show recent recruiting success.

- A program must come from a Power Five League (No G-5 team has finished better than eighth in the final playoff rankings).

- A program must begin the year within the top 20 of the Preseason Coaches Poll.

- Programs not named Alabama won’t face more than five Top 25 teams in the regular season and get in.

With those factors considered, there are just 14 teams nationally that have a legitimate opportunity to make the playoff.

Florida State Preseason Coaches Poll Ranking: 19 If you think a first-year coach is grounds for a playoff disqualification, Lincoln Riley says hi. Anyway, the Seminoles won’t have any easy time of this. They must travel to Louisville, Miami and Notre Dame in addition to hosting Clemson, Virginia Tech and Florida. There might only be four preseason Top 25 teams among that group, but there’s little doubt any combination of NC State, Boston College, Syracuse, Louisville and Florida present a difficult task ranking or not. Consider this an unlikely chance for the Seminoles.

Mississippi State Preseason Coaches Poll Ranking: 18 The Bulldogs have their five-star (likely All-American Jeffery Simmons) and a slate with plenty going for it. First, the Bulldogs return more starting experience than anyone in the SEC West (17 starters). Second, the schedule sets up rather well for Mississippi State with only three preseason Top 25 teams on the docket. What’s working against the Bulldogs? Going to Kansas State, Alabama and LSU ain’t easy. This is also a first-year coaching staff transitioning from long-tenured head coach Dan Mullen.

Southern Cal Preseason Coaches Poll Ranking: 15 If you can ignore that the Trojans lack an established quarterback – far from a disqualifier for a playoff team, ask Alabama in 2016 – their chances look rather good in the Pac-12. USC’s overall talent is elite, and it returns the framework of what should be an improved defense. With health, especially along the offensive line, the offense could be potent. The schedule, for most part, works in USC’s favor. The Trojans face only three preseason Top 25 teams (Stanford, Texas and Notre Dame), and they won’t play a road game against a Top 25 team after Sept. 15. Can USC survive back-to-back road games against the Cardinal and Longhorns in weeks two and three? That remains to be seen. But if there’s a time to lose in college football, it’s early.

Michigan Preseason Coaches Poll Ranking: 14 Michigan's schedule slog is, well, a slog. The Wolverines travel to Notre Dame in Week 1, and three of their Big Ten road games come against teams that won 10-plus games last year (Northwestern, Michigan State and Ohio State) plus meetings at home with both Wisconsin and Penn State. Experience is boon for the Wolverines returning 17 starters, and they have the defensive profile (Top 10-good) of almost all playoff participants thus far.

Stanford Preseason Coaches Poll Ranking: 13 Schedule trouble is Stanford’s main hurdle. Within the first five weeks of the season, the Cardinal will face San Diego State and USC (teams that they lost to last season) in addition to games at Oregon and Notre Dame. Also on deck is a road trip to Washington, meaning the Cardinal will face its two biggest challengers in the Pac-12 North on the road while drawing USC in the cross-divisional schedule. Still, the Cardinal bring back a Heisman candidate in Bryce Love, one of college football’s top offensive lines and nine offensive starters. With good quarterback play and a slightly improved defense, Stanford is a legit CFB Playoff dark horse.

Notre Dame Preseason Coaches Poll Ranking: 11 The Irish aren’t technically in the Power Five, but their status as an independent doesn’t harm their playoff chances. Will a lack of a conference championship game? That remains to be seen. As it is, Notre Dame has a beefy enough schedule to impress the committee. Five preseason Top 25 teams are on the docket. To the Irish's benefit, none of those games will be played in back-to-back weeks. Actually, outside of trips to Virginia Tech and USC, almost all of their tests will come in the friendly confines of South Bend. The Irish return 15 starters. Notre Dame could be dangerous if Brandon Wimbush takes a significant step as a passer.

Auburn Preseason Coaches Poll Ranking: 10 Auburn nearly became the first two-win team to crack the playoff picture last year, and it’s got the profile to do so again in 2018. The Tigers open with the Pac-12 favorites, Washington, in Atlanta. Two weeks later they’ll host LSU. In October, Auburn travels to face both Mississippi schools before finishing with the one-two road combo of Georgia and Alabama in November. That’s brutal. If Auburn can move through that slate with one loss or even two (barring chaos nationally), watch out for the Tigers.

Penn State Preseason Coaches Poll Ranking: 9 You won’t find a pair of back-to-back games on anyone’s schedule tougher than what Penn State will attempt this year. First, Penn State will host Ohio State and Michigan State on Sept. 29 and Oct. 13 (with a bye week in between) before traveling to face Michigan on Nov. 3 and hosting Wisconsin on Nov. 10. That's easy. Neither is a road game at Pittsburgh. But Penn State does have the best quarterback in the Big Ten (Trace McSorley) working for it.

Miami Preseason Coaches Poll Ranking: 8 The ACC Coastal will again provide a forgiving path for the Hurricanes. Once you get past LSU at a neutral site in Week 1, Miami won't face another Top 25 team away from home until Nov. 17 when it travels to Virginia Tech. There’s plenty of experience returning for the Hurricanes with 14 starters back. What needs to happen for Miami to take a step forward? Improved quarterback play from Malik Rosier across the board and more consistent play. Potential title contenders don’t go into fourth quarter games with Georgia Tech, Syracuse and North Carolina in back-to-back-to-back weeks.

Oklahoma Preseason Coaches Poll Ranking: 5 The three-time defending Big 12 champions have arguably the clearest path of any program with playoff aspirations. No other Big 12 team graces this list, and the Sooners bring back plenty of talent even as All-Americans like Baker Mayfield, Orlando Brown and Mark Andrews depart. What could work against Oklahoma in 2018? It won’t have a marquee non-conference road win like it did in 2015 (Tennessee) and 2017 (Ohio State) to bolster its resume if it stumbles in the regular season.

Georgia Preseason Coaches Poll Ranking: 4 If LSU isn’t ranked by mid-October (a real possibility), the Bulldogs might not face a Top 25 team until Nov. 10 when they host Auburn. So yeah, the schedule sets up pretty well for Georgia. What will be interesting with the Bulldogs is if they manage to reload or need a season to rebuild following a bevy of important roster losses. With the amount of talent Georgia is bringing in on the recruiting trail, I’d bet on the former.

Ohio State Preseason Coaches Poll Ranking: 3 Off-field drama aside, this remains an extremely talented Buckeye team. The defense is led by potential No. 1 overall NFL draft pick Nick Bosa, while college football's best backfield dictates the offense. If Dwayne Haskins can open up Ohio State's attack vertically, the Buckeyes should again be the Big Ten favorites. The Big Ten East is no slouch, however. And as we saw last season against Iowa, the Buckeyes are capable of losing to anyone in spectacular fashion if they're just a little off-kilter.

Clemson Preseason Coaches Poll Ranking: 2 The Tigers might actually be the safest playoff pick in the country. Clemson’s owned the ACC over the last three seasons, and the conference (read: Florida State and Miami) doesn't appear ready to challenge the 2016 national champions quite yet. Clemson brings back the entirety of college football’s best defensive line and the majority of its offensive starters. The Tigers, as they’ve been for three straight years, should be considered a playoff favorite.

Alabama Preseason Coaches Poll Ranking: 1 Remember the note about Georgia’s schedule not including a Top 25 opponent until November if LSU is unranked? The Crimson Tide won’t face anyone ranked until November, pretty much no matter what. Alabama needs no schedule favors, but it’s got them this year. The team’s most difficult stretch of the season in November (at LSU, Mississippi State and Auburn) includes three straight home games to finish things off. Alabama even gets a bye week before traveling to Baton Rouge.