After three regular seasons in the College Football Playoff era, we know about as much as we did when the new format was started in the 2014 season.

Conference championships matter, until they don't (see: Ohio State).

Head-to-head matters, until it doesn't (see: Ohio State).

When the nine-page document that lays out the protocol for selecting the four "best" teams doesn't include the word "rule" once and leaves plenty of room for interpretation, we're left helpless at the feet of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee waiting on the next ruling from on high.

The final AP poll of the regular season is likely to replicate the expected outcome of the final selection committee rankings because the 2016 season has proven that the committee dictates the conversation. Every week, writers and fans try to parse the words of Kirby Hocutt to discover the truth and predict the future, only to discover that the most accurate explanation of the rankings is "because we said so." Feeling somewhat powerless, I expect the AP voters to bend and match the viewpoints of the committee this week, and maybe from here on out in the playoff era.

Here's how we expect the penultimate AP Top 25 to look on Sunday:

1. Alabama (Previous AP Top 25 ranking -- 1): Are you not entertained? The Tide made a mess of the SEC Championship Game against Florida, using non-offensive touchdowns (blocked punt return and interception return) to put points on the board before wearing Florida down in the second half of a dominant 54-16 win.

2. Clemson (3): Deshaun Watson appears to be at the height of his powers heading into the playoff.

3. Ohio State (2): The Buckeyes won't be bumped from the top four in the polls or in the playoff rankings, but no Saturday action and no conference championship might leave room to get jumped by Clemson.

4. Washington (4): If you paid attention to Friday's game against Colorado, you saw many of the reasons why Washington absolutely deserves a shot at the national title while also witnessing a glaring concern should the Huskies get matched up against Alabama. Jake Browning's worst games have come in games where the offensive line can't get a push off the snap (USC, Colorado), and no one has been able to get that kind of push against Alabama's defensive front. But Friday's win also highlighted a physical and versatile Washington defense that, with time to prepare, could cook up the perfect gameplan to slow Jalen Hurts.

5. Penn State (8): A victory against Ohio State will make Penn State's playoff argument strong, but I think the voters' consensus will keep them behind Washington. That won't stop the College Football Playoff Selection Committee from pulling a fast one and sliding them into the No. 4 spot, but it'll keep them at No. 5 in the polls.

6. Oklahoma (7): No other team in the country beat every single team in its conference this season. In these days of expanded conferences and imbalanced schedules, it's rare to accomplish that feat and Oklahoma did it, but that conference championship is apparently not enough to jump teams that are "unequivocally" better in the playoff rankings.

7. Michigan (5): Off, and probably out of the playoff come Sunday at noon ET.

8. USC (10): Off

9. Western Michigan (13): P.J. Fleck didn't watch any of Temple's win against Navy, but he wore all-cotton everything in preparation for what should be an invitation to the Cotton Bowl on Sunday. There has been a hesitation from the pollsters to move WMU into the top 10, but I think that ends after the conclusion of a 13-0 campaign, even if that 13th win was much closer than it should have been.

10. Wisconsin (6): The Badgers played great on Saturday night, but ultimately fell into the same second half trap that Penn State has been setting for opponents throughout the second half of the season. A slight drop in the polls won't hurt as much as missing an opportunity to participate in an elite bowl game, but those decision are out of the hands of the AP voters.

11. Colorado (9): Sefo Liufau's injury played a huge role in the way the Pac-12 title game unfolded, but it did not change the likely outcome in this matchup. Washington's defense was keyed in on the Buffs and relentless with its pressure on the quarterback. There is no reason the voters will punish Colorado too much, but a drop in the rankings is coming.

12. Florida State (12): Off

13. Oklahoma State (11): The Cowboys could fall behind West Virginia but count me as one who thinks the voters won't fall behind West Virginia -- a team they beat earlier this season -- just because of a road loss to Oklahoma.

14. West Virginia (14): A closer-than-expected 24-21 win against Baylor gets West Virginia to 10 wins for the first time since 2011 and the program celebrated the accomplishment by locking down Dana Holgorsen until 2021.

15. Louisville (16): Off

16. Stanford (17): Off

17. Virginia Tech (19): It's been hard for voters to get on board with Virginia Tech due to a lack of quality wins (or quality opponents, for that matter), but seeing the Hokies go toe-to-toe with Clemson and push the Tigers could be enough to slot them as the best of the four-loss teams in the rankings.

18. Auburn (18): Off

19. Florida (15): If every offensive drive was as successful as the first and last possessions of the first half against Alabama, there would have been a lot more confidence in the Gators having a chance to knock off the top-ranked Tide in Atlanta. Florida could end up holding its spot as there is no shame in losing to Alabama (13 other teams have done so), but I'm guessing the voters follow the College Football Playoff Selection Committee's lead and slots the Gators one spot behind Auburn.

20. LSU (21): Off

21. Iowa (22): Off

22. Nebraska (23): Off

23. Temple (NR): Matt Rhule hasn't been mentioned as a candidate for any open jobs, but dominoes start to fall and a school finds itself unexpectedly in the middle of a coaching search, he deserves a call. Rhule has led Temple to back-to-back 10-win seasons and now has a conference championship to his name in a season where many expected the Owls to take a step back.

24. Pittsburgh (T-24): Off

25. USF (T-24): Off

Dropped from the rankings: Navy (20)