Remember all that talk about Florida potentially going on an epic run and maybe even giving the SEC two teams in the College Football Playoff?

Yeah, scratch that. The Gators put together another offensive performance offensively — see what I did there? — in a 31-13 loss to intrastate rival Florida State last Saturday. Just like 2015, UF is more pretender than contender.

Nevertheless, Florida is still champion of the inferior East and will make its way to the Georgia Dome this weekend to take on West winner Alabama. The Crimson Tide opened as 21.5-point favorites, although that betting line has already been pushed up to 24 or so. No sane fan gives the Gators a legitimate chance to emerge victorious.

So it’s unofficially official: ‘Bama is the sole entry in the Final Four from the best conference in America. No matter how much coach Nick Saban disagrees with the line of questioning, the Tide are in, win or lose against UF.

Here are my four most important takeaways from the fifth release of the CFP rankings. Not a lot of guess-work was needed this time.

no questions asked

There was very little drama this week with the Top 4. It’s Alabama at No. 1, Ohio State at No. 2, Clemson at No. 3 and Washington at No. 4.

With the regular season complete, no other program has a genuine gripe at this point. The Crimson Tide are the only unbeaten team — all apologies to Western Michigan — from a Power 5 conference and have lapped the field.

Sep 5, 2015; Clemson, SC, USA; Clemson Tigers mascot looks on during the first quarter against the Wofford Terriers at Clemson Memorial Stadium. Tigers won 49-10. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports

Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports

The Buckeyes, Tigers and Huskies are the last Power 5 teams standing with only a single loss. While Clemson and Washington are set to win the ACC and Pac-12 on Saturday, respectively, Ohio State will be watching its conference championship game from a couch in Columbus. Penn State is representing the Big Ten East.

Presumably, the Tigers and Huskies control their own destinies. Win the league, go to the playoff. The Buckeyes, however, could be on shaky ground if the Nittany Lions triumph since they own a head-to-head victory over OSU.

Is No. 5 Michigan one of the best four teams in the country? Possibly. The Wolverines’ résumé is a bit more blemished, though.

west is the best

Naturally, one-loss Washington is ahead of two-loss Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. The latter two play each other Saturday for the Big 12 title.

Remember, the Big 12 won’t have a conference championship game again until 2017. It’s just the luck of the draw that the Sooners and Cowboys are similarly 9-2 and atop the standings through Week 13. Win that one, win the league.

Aside from all that, it’s worth noting that two-loss Colorado is at No. 8, directly in front of No. 9 Oklahoma and No. 10 Oklahoma State. Because the Buffaloes are matched up with the Huskies in the Pac-12 title game, it’s safe to assume with a win that they would remain ahead of either the Sooners or Cowboys, no matter who prevails.

As a result, if there’s just enough chaos around the country, a Colorado victory might be enough to get coach Mike MacIntyre — there’s your national coach of the year, by the way — and Co. into the Final Four.

My hunch is that the committee doesn’t want to leave the Pac-12 on the cutting-room floor two years in a row. Sorry, Big 12.

toothless reptiles

Even after a horrid showing against Florida State, its fourth L in a row in the series, Florida didn’t fall from the 15th spot.

The Gators are champions of the East and will take on top-ranked Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, but they’re not one of the more impressive three-loss teams in America. Why the loss to the Seminoles didn’t hurt more is a mystery.

It’s not like UF has gone down to heavy hitters this season — Tennessee, Arkansas and FSU have 12 losses between them. The only victory Florida has over a ranked opponent is a 16-10 escape of No. 21 LSU, which failed to find the end zone on the final play of the game from the 1-yard line. That was a chinny-chin-chin situation for the Gators.

Oct 31, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Florida Gators mascot, Albert, and teammates celebrate as they beat the Georgia Bulldogs at EverBank Stadium. Florida Gators defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 27-3. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

There isn’t a sound football mind in the nation that thinks UF has a realistic chance to challenge the Crimson Tide in Atlanta. The Gators are a better bet to get shut out than go back to Gainesville with a W.

Virginia Tech, winner of the ACC Coastal, was given no such benefit of the doubt by voters. At 9-3, the Hokies debuted at No. 23.

i have the power

With the current setup, there’s no reason to believe that a team from a non-Power 5 conference can gain entry into the playoff.

Aforementioned Western Michigan is 12-0 and owns a pair of wins over big-boy opponents. Even if they came against Northwestern and Illinois — combined record? 9-15 — they’re from the Big Ten, which has enjoyed a terrific season.

The Broncos can still do no better than 17th in the rankings, so don’t expect a real bump even if they win convincingly Saturday in the MAC Championship Game against Ohio. The Bobcats are 8-4 and lost to both Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan. Western Michigan beat those two by a combined score of 94-41.

The best the Broncos can hope for is an invitation to a New Year’s Six bowl game, which would give them yet another chance to knock off a stronger program with deeper pockets. Think Utah over ‘Bama back in 2008.

There are only two other Group of 5 clubs in the rankings: Navy at 19th and Houston at 24th. As the saying goes, the rich get richer.

John Crist is the senior writer for Saturday Down South, a member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy. Send him an e-mail, like him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.