I realize the futility of trying to predict College Football Playoff threats almost a full year ahead of time.

(I’m not ashamed to admit that as of mid-September, I thought Oklahoma had the best chance to make the CFP. The Sooners closed the season with losses to Oklahoma State and Clemson to finish 8-5.)

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But this is not ISIS or congressional politics. So, recognizing our limitations, let’s take a conference-by-conference look at a few teams that may present threats to the SEC when the committee finalizes the next College Football Playoff in about 11 months.

ACC: Clemson

The Tigers lose their entire defensive line, headlined by Vic Beasley. The Seminoles lose quarterback Jameis Winston, tight end Nick O’Leary and receiver Rashad Greene.

Both arguably feature Top 15 head coaches in college football, each of whom is recruiting like a mad man (Florida State currently ranks No. 2 and Clemson No. 6, according to 247Sports.)

But only one team is returning DeShaun Watson at quarterback, in addition to receivers Mike Williams and Artavis Scott and running back Wayne Gallman, all of whom were freshmen or sophomores in 2014. Clemson quietly has strung together four consecutive Top 25 seasons, including three consecutive bowl wins against LSU, Ohio State and Oklahoma.

Clemson’s offense should dominate in 2015, and that should be enough to account for a drop-off on defense. But FSU got blown out in the CFP semifinals, and the ACC may not boast a team as good as this year’s Seminoles.

Others: Florida State, N.C. State.

Overall Risk: Low

BIG 12: TCU

The Horned Frogs return 10 starters on arguably the best offense in college football, including QB Trevone Boykin, a strong Heisman candidate. It’s possible the team could start 10 seniors next season, its second running a spread offense. TCU also gets Baylor at home in a revenge game, though the team does lose a pair of dominant linebackers in Paul Dawson and Marcus Mallet.

The Big 12 doesn’t figure to present a major roadblock in 2015 outside of those two teams, as Oklahoma and Texas aren’t even ranked in early Top 25 polls. Gary Patterson’s defenses are like clockwork, so it won’t be a surprise if the team gets enough support on that side of the ball. But Art Briles has built a system that seems impervious to personnel losses, and the Bears are an annual contender now as well.

Others: Baylor, Oklahoma State.

Overall Risk: High

BIG TEN: Ohio State

The Buckeyes weren’t supposed to compete for a national championship for another year, especially when Braxton Miller went down with a season-ending injury in August. But Urban Meyer doesn’t mess around, and soon could make the case that his days at Ohio State are even more impressive than his time at Florida.

Speaking of quarterbacks, the Buckeyes have to get that position settled before the season with Miller, J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones unlikely to all three stay with the program. But Meyer has the personnel in place on offense to keep things rolling regardless.

The biggest threat to a repeat for the Buckeyes is its defense, which got much better this season, but wasn’t all-world even before losing four significant starters.

The Big Ten also looks like it’s trending upward as the Spartans should have another tremendous team in 2015, with a defense back to normal Michigan State levels and a senior quarterback in Connor Cook who may turn into a first-round pick.

Wisconsin and Nebraska also should stay relevant, and it’s only a matter of time before Penn State and Michigan contend as well.

Others: Michigan State, Wisconsin.

Overall Risk: High

PAC-12: UCLA

The Pac-12 is setting up to be perhaps the deepest conference in the country outside of the SEC in 2015, but it may lack that one top-end team to win a national title.

Oregon’s offense is loaded with skill players, but the Ducks must replace a chunk of an underrated offensive line, and unless the team picks up Miller from Ohio State due to a transfer, the trigger man of the unit may not be championship caliber.

The Bruins return 18 starters, 10 on offense, including several all-conference performers. Losing Brett Hundley at quarterback hurts, but the rest of the roster is saturated with outstanding underclassmen, and maybe many in the media (myself included) jumped the gun one year with UCLA. Don’t be surprised if the overall talent the Bruins have compiled is enough for a Pac-12 title in 2015.

Others: Oregon, Arizona, Arizona State, USC

Overall Risk: Medium