In 2014, coaches correctly picked three eventual Playoff teams in their preseason poll.

They’ve yet to match that accuracy since. They got two right in 2015 and 2016 — safely choosing Alabama and Clemson each time — but only had Alabama right last season. (Clemson opened at No. 5 in their poll.)

Keep that in mind. Their preseason Top 25 is merely a starting point, a talking point — and just like its AP counterpart, it has no impact on the Playoff committee, anyway.

Still, we wouldn’t be football fans it we didn’t shake our head and roll our eyes at a few of the selections.

Ranked too high

It’s entirely possible but hard to imagine that the SEC again will get two teams in the Playoff, but it’s impossible to argue that No. 1 Alabama and No. 4 Georgia don’t belong where they are in the preseason poll. Upsets happen, but both are far more likely to stay in the top 4 than not. The possibility of an undefeated showdown for the SEC title is real.

That leaves …

No. 3 Ohio State: Granted, the votes came in before Wednesday’s bombshell news that might end up costing Urban Meyer is his job/career. But strictly focusing on things that don’t matter nearly as much right now: Road games at Penn State and Michigan State are problematic, and the Buckeyes have stumbled twice in the past four years in an early nonconference matchup against a Power 5 team. They get No. 16 TCU this year, in Dallas.

That’s a lot to handle for a team that already will be starting a new quarterback and might be doing so with an interim head coach.

No. 5 Oklahoma: Clemson went through this last year. A lot of really good pieces returned, but the one who elevated everything into a championship contender — the quarterback — did not.

That’s Oklahoma in 2018. There’s a lot to like, but it’s unwise to assume Kyler Murray will play like Baker Mayfield 2.0.

Oklahoma won three road games in the Big 12 last year by 8, 7 and 10 points. That might sound like a comfortable margin, but it’s 3 minutes and a couple of possessions in the Big 12.

You have to keep scoring in that league.

No. 10 Auburn: Taking the long-term view, it’s the schedule. Give Auburn Georgia’s schedule and I’d argue that the Tigers are way too low. But Auburn has five games against teams in the Coaches Top 25 (three in the top 10): No. 6 Washington, No. 24 LSU, No. 18 Mississippi State, No. 4 Georgia, No. 1 Alabama. Four are away from Jordan-Hare. Gus Malzahn wasn’t kidding or using hyperbole when describing how challenging this slate is.

No. 24 LSU: Again, blame the schedule for most of it, but the Tigers still have some serious questions. Joe Burrow might be the answer, but what if he isn’t? There’s no Derrius Guice to lean on this year until the passing game finds its footing, assuming it ever does. The Tigers also face five teams ranked in the Top 25: No. 8 Miami, No. 10 Auburn, No. 4 Georgia, No. 18 Mississippi State and No. 1 Alabama. Three are at Death Valley, which could be really good, or a really good opportunity to start the “O Must Go” chants. (For the record, he shouldn’t go. He’s in a sandwich year; 2019 promises to be better.)

Ranked too low

Each of the past 3 years of the Playoff era, a team from outside the top 15 in the preseason Coaches Poll made the Playoff. I’m not predicting that happens again, but it’s an indication of how quickly and dramatically teams and opinions change.

  • 2017: Georgia preseason No. 15
  • 2016: Washington preseason No. 18
  • 2015: Oklahoma preseason No. 19

No. 18 Mississippi State: On paper, the Bulldogs appear to be a clear No. 2 in the West behind Alabama. Their front four is better than Auburn’s, arguably better than anybody’s. Their dual-threat QB is almost as dangerous as Auburn’s. The Bulldogs have a proven running back. They get Auburn at home. Everything sets up nicely for the ultimate prove-it-to-me opportunity at Alabama in Week 11.

No. 20 West Virginia: If Will Grier is as good as I think he is, the Mountaineers will battle Oklahoma in back-to-back weeks to settle the Big 12 — and potentially a Playoff spot. The first meeting is on a Friday night in Morgantown to close the regular season. (They might be camping out already.) The second could come a week later in the Big 12 Championship Game. If you’re going to have a dark horse emerge, you better have a game-changer at QB. West Virginia has that.

No. 23 UCF: The Knights are no threat to make the Playoff, but there aren’t 22 teams in the country with a better chance to go 11-1 and win a conference title. They weren’t even the highest-ranked Group of 5. Oh, the humanity.