College Football Rankings 2015: CFB Playoff Predictions After Preseason AP Poll

It would take some real courage to come out with our early college football playoff predictions and not include the Ohio State Buckeyes.

The Buckeyes were voted the unanimous preseason No. 1 selection in the nation, taking all 61 votes in the Associated Press poll.

But courage might just be what is needed. While the Buckeyes appear to be a loaded team fully capable of winning the second College Football Playoff National Championship after beating Alabama and Oregon last year, college football is the most difficult of domains.

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Ohio State makes history in AP preseason poll http://t.co/KUFRYqouE5

— ESPN Big Ten (@ESPN_BigTen) August 23, 2015"

Head coach Urban Meyer's team has a huge target on its collective back. Every opponent will focus more intently and prepare for its best game against Ohio State, and when a team has to play 12 regular-season games and a Big Ten conference championship game under those conditions, it's a lot to consider.

However, a closer look at that schedule indicates that the Buckeyes may not be tested until well into the season. While they lost to Virginia Tech last year, Ohio State appears far superior to its Sept. 7 season-opening opponent. Going to Blackskburg, Virginia, will not be easy, but Ohio State should come out with a win.

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This is 96th AP Poll Ohio State is ranked No. 1. Only Oklahoma (101) & Notre Dame (98) have been ranked No. 1 more weeks

— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) August 23, 2015"

The next difficult game may not be until they face Michigan State on Nov. 21 at Ohio Stadium. The big question going into this game may be whether the losing team will still earn a spot in the playoffs. Both teams could be undefeated going into that game.

Pos.	Team	Points (First-Place Votes)
1	Ohio State	1,525 (61)
2	TCU	1,428
3	Alabama	1,322
4	Baylor	1,263
5	Michigan State	1,256
6	Auburn	1,192
7	Oregon	1,156
8	USC	1,085
9	Georgia	991
10	Florida State	959
11	Notre Dame	873
12	Clemson	862
13	USC	698
14	LSU	675
15	Arizona State	605
16	Georgia Tech	588
17	Mississippi	563
18	Arkansas	410
19	Oklahoma	394
20	Wisconsin	393
21	Stanford	347
22	Arizona	311
23	Boise State	240
24	Missouri	219
25	Tennessee	114

We are not going to bet against either Big Ten team, and the good thing is that both are in the East Division of the Big Ten conference. That means there is no chance they will also meet in the conference championship game, where a second loss would be the eliminator.

Ohio State is just too strong on both sides of the ball, and we trust Meyer will come to the right decision when it comes to naming the quarterback, a choice that is still up in the air. While Cardale Jones brought home the national championship last year, J.T. Barrett was a Heisman Trophy candidate before suffering a season-ending injury late last year.

The Buckeyes also have a brilliant offensive line, led by left tackle Taylor Decker and left guard Billy Price. That could make the offense difficult to stop.

Michigan State faces a huge challenge Sept. 12 when the Oregon Ducks come to East Lansing. The Spartans lost at Oregon last year, and we expect head coach Mark Dantonio to have his team ready for revenge. It doesn't hurt that the Spartans have one of the best quarterbacks in the nation in Connor Cook.

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MSU has two straight top-5 finishes, but this will be the Spartans' first top-5 start in almost a half century. http://t.co/ELjoENEMpl

— Joe Rexrode (@joerexrode) August 23, 2015"

The Spartans should stay unbeaten until their November trip to Columbus if they beat the Ducks. That should be good enough to get them into the playoffs.

Don't bet against Alabama, either. Losing in the semifinals last year has been like a nasty splinter in the side of the Crimson Tide, and it has bothered head coach Nick Saban and his players all year. The Crimson Tide have power on both sides of the line of scrimmage, and if Cooper Bateman, Jake Coker or Alec Morris can separate himself at the quarterback position, the Tide should be rolling again.

Unlike Ohio State and Michigan State, Alabama has the most challenging of schedules. The Tide face seven opponents ranked in the preseason Top 25, and there can be no slip-ups. On the positive side, Alabama has handled these kind of tough schedules in the past, and it will not be intimidated.

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Alabama plays NINE teams in the preseason Top 27. Ohio State plays just ONE

— Sports Brackets (@sportsbrackets0) August 23, 2015"

TCU is our fourth choice to make this year's playoff foursome. TCU has a late-season meeting with playoff hopeful Baylor at the end of the regular season, and the Bears are good enough to beat the Horned Frogs if they are healthy and play their best game.

Team	Conference	The Skinny
Ohio State	Big Ten	Strongest, deepest team in the country
Michigan State	Big Ten	Strong start, even stronger finish for Spartans
Alabama	SEC	Nasty and mean on both sides of the line of scrimmage
TCU	Big 12	Trevone Boykin carries this team on his shulders

However, TCU will play at home in that game, and they also have the remarkable Trevone Boykin at quarterback. Boykin completed 301-of-492 passes for 3,901 yards with 33 touchdowns and 10 interceptions last year, and he could be even better since the TCU offensive line returns all five of its starters.