Oregon and Ohio State made history in the first college football playoffs championship game Monday night.
Each figures to be on the short list of leading candidates for round two in 2015, as well.
Since the college season has been over for less than a day, let's look at a way, Way, WAY too early Top 25 for the 2015 season.
1. Ohio State. Every team in the country minus maybe TCU and Michigan State would love to have any of the Buckeyes' quarterback rejects. Barring an overflow of early defections, the Buckeyes could return as many as 15 starters from the team that put 42 points on Alabama in the Sugar Bowl last week. Then mix in the stars from the 2013 recruiting class and The Ohio State will be the clear favorite.
2. TCU. Trevone Boykin will be on the short list of Heisman Trophy front-runners, and here's suspecting the Scorned Frogs will be supremely motivated after being left on the curb in the drive-by experience of the first playoffs format.
3. Alabama. Want to know the ultimate testament of how well Nick Saban has stockpiled talent? The Crimson Tide will lose nine offensive starters, and once they decide who will replace quarterback Blake Sims, it's next man up everywhere else in Tuscaloosa. Plus, the Alabama defensive line with A'Shawn Robinson and Jonathan Allen will be among the best in the country.
4. Michigan State. The Spartans landed two monster recruits when quarterback Connor Cook and defensive end Shilique Calhoun decided to return to East Lansing. The Spartans lost only twice in 2014 -- to the teams that played Monday night for the title.
5. Southern California. Cody Kessler returns at quarterback, and the Trojans have a litany of playmakers, namely JuJu Smith and potential two-way stud Adoree' Jackson. Plus, USC is recruiting at a high level and finally is out of NCAA timeout and can sign a full collection of players next month.
6. Baylor. Another team with a great cast but looking for a trigger man. Record-setting quarterback Bryce Petty is gone, but the Bears could return as many as 17 starters. Yes, 17.
7. Oregon. The Ducks have moved among the college football elite and now have to prove they can reload around speed backs Royce Freeman and Thomas Tyner. Who will run the offense will be biggest question mark going into the spring, but the pieces are there.
8. Clemson. The Tigers, along with TCU, may be the only spread team in the country that's not interested in what happens with the Ohio State quarterback race. That's because Clemson has Mr. Deshaun Watson, and that guy is good.
9. Florida State. Yes, the Seminoles will have to find Jameis Winston's successor, but the bigger rebuilding project may be across an offensive line that loses four seniors as well as leading receivers in Rashad Greene and Nick O'Leary. Defensively, though, the Seminoles are fierce, and unless there are several declarations between now and Thursday's deadline to enter the draft, FSU could have 10 starters back on that side of the ball.
Running back Nick Chubb during Georgia's Belk Bowl game against the Louisville Cardinals on Tuesday, Dec.30, 2014 in Charlotte, N.C.
10. Georgia. Replacing quarterback Hutson Mason is job No. 1. Replacing Todd Gurley will be Chubb, No. 27. Running back Nick Chubb will start the season atop many All-America lists, and rightfully so after running for more than 1,500 yards this past year as a freshman.
11. LSU. If the Tigers can find a quarterback they can trust, they will contend for a national title. With running back Leonard Fournette and a host of sophomore receivers, LSU may have the most complete set of skill players in the country. Getting them the ball, however, will be the issue.
12. Tennessee. Now that Curt Maggitt has said he will return for his senior season, the Volunteers could return as many as 20 starters from the lineup that began the TaxSlayer Bowl. Now, considering that several of those starters may lose their jobs to more talented newcomers, the Vols are building.
13. Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets' strong finish may mean a lofty spot in the preseason poll, but other than quarterback Justin Thomas, Tech has to replace its entire backfield. That's not as big a deal at Tech, where the system dictates direction and success.
14. Ole Miss. Loads of talent at a slew of places -- including future first-round NFL picks in receiver Laquan Treadwell, tackle Laremy Tunsil, defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche and safety Tony Conner -- but the Rebels are counting on Chad Kelly to be an upgrade of Bo Wallace at quarterback. That seems like a stretch.
15. Oklahoma. Running back Samaje Perine returns, and he has big-time talent. He also will need to introduce himself to the offensive line next fall since the Sooners lose four starters on the front and tight end Blake Bell. How the Sooners regroup from a disastrous final month to 2014 will be interesting.
16. Auburn. Speaking of a brutal place to try to rebuild, the Tigers hve to replace quarterback Nick Marshall, running back Cameron Artis-Payne and receiver Sammie Coates. While the Tigers have a large upside during the final month before signing day -- due in large part to the addition of new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp -- Auburn's three biggest gets this offseason arguably are the return of linebackers Kris Frost and Cassanova McKinzy and receiver Duke Williams for their senior seasons.
17. Notre Dame. Everett Golson appears to have interest in transferring, and Sports Illustrated reported Monday that as many as 26 schools were interested in the Irish quarterback. It's understandable -- Golson has skills and there are a number of teams with talented pieces needing talented signal-callers -- and his landing spot could reshape the 2015 season.
18. Mississippi State. The Bulldogs could be back in the mix-- and higher -- if quarterback Dak Prescott returns. If not, the SEC West is a brutal place to try to rebuild.
19. Arizona. Quarterback Anu Solomon was either big hits -- he led the Wildcats by Oregon -- or big misses. Heading into his sophomore year, he should benefit from the added experience.
20. Missouri. Even a preseason ranking seems a little low for the Tigers, who specialize in simply winning games. The loss of Shane Ray along the defensive front will sting, though.
21. UCLA. If quarterback Brent Hundley surprises and stays with the Bruins, UCLA shoots up the board toward the top 10. It's hard to see Hundley staying, however, meaning the Bruins must retool the offense.
22. Arkansas. The Hogs return more starters than anyone in the SEC not named Tennessee, and those pieces have some quality, too. The biggest replacement for a run-and-run-again offense will be finding a new coordinator to take over for Jim Chaney, who took the OC job at Pittsburgh.
23. West Virginia. A salty defense that welcomes back nine starters will be key for the Mountaineers.
24. Wisconsin. The coach left and record-setting runner Melvin Gordon is headed to Sunday football. Still, the Badgers are experienced and running back Corey Clement could be the next Badgers bad man.
25. North Carolina State. The Wolfpack were streaky in 2014, winning four straight to start and four of their last five. Quarterback Jacoby Brissett will be one of the ACC preseason stars, and N.C. State returns eight defensive starters.
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com and follow him on Twitter at @jgreesontfp. Listen to Jay and David Paschall on Press Row every weekday from 3-6 on ESPN 105.1 FM and timesfreepress.com.