[BigdaddyQH]

A look at the AP Top 25 when the season started and where they stand after week 4 as far as playoff hopes are concerned.
AP Top 25
RK TEAM REC TREND
1 Ohio State(61) 0-0...Still there.
2 TCU 0-0...................Undefeated, but a terrible defense.
3 Alabama 0-0...........A must win at Georgia or they are finished.
4 Baylor 0-0...........Typical Big 12. All Offense. No D.
5 Michigan State 0-0...In a great spot.
6 Auburn 0-0...........Finished.
7 Oregon 0-0...........Finished
8 USC 0-0...................In tough. One loss and a brutal schedule.
9 Georgia 0-0...........A win vs Alabama would go very far
10 Florida State 0-0...Better than most think.
11 Notre Dame 0-0...Solid, despite injuries.
12 Clemson 0-0...........Their game this week vs Notre Dame will tell us a lot
13 UCLA 0-0...................#1 in the PAC 12?
14 LSU 0-0...................In the thick of it in the SEC West
15 Arizona State 0-0...Finished
16 Georgia Tech 0-0...Finished
17 Ole Miss 0-0...........The new SEC Favorite?
18 Arkansas 0-0...........Finished
19 Oklahoma 0-0...........Dangerous sleeper.
20 Wisconsin 0-0...........Nothing new.
21 Stanford 0-0...........Pac 12 Sleeper
22 Arizona 0-0...........Finished.
23 Boise State 0-0...........Fiesta Bowl Again?
24 Missouri 0-0...........Not this season
25 Tennessee 0-0...........Finished.

Seven teams are finished as far as the playoff hunt goes, as of this moment. Several more, like Alabama, USC, and others, can not afford another loss. Ah the stupidity of preseason polls.

[Buffalo Nickle]

Not as bad as the current one. Preseason polls are actually more predictive of bowl wins than the final Top 25 poll. So not so dumb. It just sets an expectation for certain teams and is actually very predictive. Only dummies think they are supposed to get everything right.

[HeeluvaGuy]

I remember reading an article in the last couple of years that showed how the preseason NCAAB poll was a better predictor of the NCAA tournament champ than the final regular season poll. Doubt I can find it again, but it was interesting. Would be interesting to see how the football polls would do but it would be a little harder to determine the champ pre-BCS.