The media's predictions for the 2019 college football season are out. Sporting News' are, too. Preseason polls are next, starting with the Coaches Poll from Thursday and the AP Top 25 on Aug. 19.

You might think those polls don't mean anything, but the predictions give some good clues for how the College Football Playoff picture might turn out.

MORE: SN's preseason top 25

Sporting News looked at the preseason polls for each of the Power 5 conferences, checked those notes against ours and pieced together what those Playoff semifinals might look like on Dec. 28 at the Peach Bowl and Fiesta Bowl.

Here's a closer look:

ACC

Media prediction: Clemson over Virginia

SN prediction: Clemson over Virginia

Clemson's a safe bet to hold up its end of the bargain — unless Syracuse gets in the way. The Tigers have more than enough talent around preseason All-American Trevor Lawrence to get back to Charlotte for the championship game, and they've won the last four ACC championship games by an average of 22 points per game. Virginia would be the seventh different team to win the ACC Coastal Division in the last seven years, but hasn't won the ACC crown since 1995.

Big 12

Media prediction: Oklahoma over Texas

SN prediction: Oklahoma over Texas

Iowa State and TCU are the next best bets to get in the way of a Red River championship, but we're confident the Sooners and Longhorns will rematch in the Big 12 championship game. There's some differentiation from there. The media poll favors Oklahoma by a wide margin. The Sooners had a 68-9 advantage in first-place votes. SN contributor John Hoover likes Oklahoma to win the Big 12, but I went with Texas in our bowl projections. The Red River Showdown is back, and it's a good bet one or the other will make the College Football Playoff.

MORE: SN's top 40 players of 2019

Big Ten

Media prediction: Michigan over Nebraska

SN prediction: Ohio State over Wisconsin

It will be either Ohio State/Michigan vs. Nebraska/Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship — unless Penn State, Michigan State, Northwestern or Iowa catches lightning again (all have done that in the Playoff era). Nebraska hosts Ohio State on Sept. 28, and the Badgers face the Wolverines and Buckeyes this season. The Big Ten West is wide open, but we still feel like the Big Ten East will come down to the Nov. 30 showdown between Ohio State and Michigan in Ann Arbor. Both teams were 10-1 in that game in 2016 and '18. That's the required buy-in for a shot at a Big Ten championship — and perhaps a Playoff berth, the conference's first since 2016.

Pac-12

Media prediction: Utah over Oregon

SN prediction: Oregon over Utah

Washington has won two of the last three Pac-12 championships, but is absent from both media and SN predictions. Oregon and Utah are among the potential Playoff crashers in the Pac-12, and the Ducks can increase their chances by beating Auburn at Jerry World in the opener. The Utes travel to BYU, USC and Washington this season. Speaking of which, don't dismiss Washington or Washington State this season (though we admit the Cougars must prove they can win the Apple Cup before we can make that call). Can a one-loss Pac-12 champion get in the Playoff? We're about to find out.

MORE: Sporting News preseason All-Americans

SEC

Media poll: Alabama over Georgia

SN prediction: Alabama over Georgia

LSU was the only other team to pick up multiple votes to win the SEC West in the media poll; the Tigers finished with five. The SEC also placed six teams in the top 15 of SN's preseason top 25, but you won't find too many true Playoff contenders after that. It comes down to three questions: Will Georgia and Alabama be undefeated in Atlanta for the SEC championship game? Can the Bulldogs finally beat Alabama? And could the Crimson Tide make the Playoff without a conference title? The SEC is the only conference that can get two Playoff teams in, other than the Big Ten — if the chips fell right for Ohio State and Michigan.

Predicting the 2019 College Football Playoff

With that information in hand, it's on to the four-team Playoff. No Group of 5 team will make it this year — not with the knowledge UCF's 25-game win streak wasn't enough to crack it. Notre Dame has road games at Georgia, Michigan and Stanford, and Army will get a chance to make a splash against Michigan. We'll keep the Irish in the discussion knowing it would be difficult for them to get in with one loss and no conference championship game. It's always going to be that way.

We still think this year's Playoff will come from the Power 5 conferences. Again, it comes down to three questions:

— Will the Pac-12 get a playoff team? We'll say neither Utah nor Oregon can get out of the Pac-12 grind without two losses.

— Will the SEC get two playoff teams? We love Georgia, but we think they lose one regular-season game before the SEC championship against Alabama. LSU would also have an interesting case if it had an 11-1 record with the only loss at Alabama.

— Who wins the Big 12? Flip a coin: Oklahoma or Texas.

Our Playoff field is Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Texas. Yeah, Texas is back. Oklahoma, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame and the Pac-12 champion could crash the party as well.

If it's somebody other than those teams, then we'll know it was a fun 150th season of college football.