For the past several weeks, ahead of the first College Football Playoff Rankings release on Nov. 1, we are predicting what the top 25 would look like if the CFP Selection Committee started early. It is a warmup act for the warmup act, which are the CFP Rankings releases before the final one.

Note: Predictions in this post are based only on results to this point, so they do not reflect the final forecast for the playoff, which can be found here.

Here, we try to emphasize the same criteria the committee uses. That will be difficult because, as we have learned, the committee can be all over the map. Sometimes, it decides that head-to-head record matters; sometimes, it doesn't. Sometimes, strength of schedule matters; sometimes, it doesn't. Sometimes, relative dominance matters; sometimes, it doesn't. Sometimes it's about game control -- whatever that is -- or recency bias or ... ah, you get the idea.

What we have learned is that this process is highly subjective. It is much more subjective than the process that the basketball committee uses, which is what the football committee was modeled after.

With all of that in mind, here is what I think the top 25 would look like this week.

1. Alabama: The Crimson Tide ran away from Texas A&M. They still have tough games left at LSU and Auburn.

2. Michigan: The Wolverines' schedule looks easier every week. They keep piling up the points though.

3. Clemson: The Tigers had a week off to get ready for Florida State.

4. Texas A&M: Alabama handed the Aggies their first loss of the season, but Texas A&M's CFP hopes aren't gone yet.

5. Ohio State: The Buckeyes let one get away at Penn State. Like Texas A&M, their playoff hopes aren't gone yet, and Ohio State has a better chance than A&M does of winning its league.

6. Louisville: Lamar Jackson had another spectacular day in a destruction of NC State.

7. Washington: The Huskies' six FBS opponents so far have a combined record of 16-28. Their tougher tests are coming up quickly.

8. Tennessee: The Volunteers have only lost to Alabama (undefeated) and Texas A&M (only lost to Bama). Wins over Virginia Tech, Florida and Georgia have Tennessee at the top of the list of two-loss teams.

9. Wisconsin: The Badgers keep pounding away. They have only lost to Ohio State and Michigan and may get another crack at one of them eventually.

10. Florida State: The Seminoles have gotten back on track since losing to Louisville and North Carolina. They will try to damage Clemson's CFP hopes this week.

11. West Virginia: The schedule so far is filled with hit-and-miss teams, but the Mountaineers keep hitting them.

12. Boise State: The Broncos blocked a field goal to hold off BYU. This is likely a peak position for them as some of the major conference teams' schedules get harder and theirs gets softer.

13. Penn State: The Nittany Lions put a dent in the CFP chances of Ohio State this week, coming from behind late to beat the Buckeyes. They can win the Big Ten East, but need Michigan to lose twice.

14. Auburn: The Tigers are flying under the radar a bit, but their only losses so far have come to Clemson and Texas A&M at home. Right now, they look like the toughest opponent left on Alabama's schedule.

15. Oklahoma: The Sooners scored roughly a million points at Texas Tech and needed all of them to win. OU should have a couple of relatively easy ones before facing Baylor and West Virginia back-to-back.

16. North Carolina: UNC will have control of its own destiny for the ACC championship if Pitt beats Virginia Tech while the Tar Heels are off this week.

17. Western Michigan: The Broncos are still cruising through the MAC, but their strength of schedule will start to weigh on their ranking.

18. Nebraska: The Cornhuskers will get their first real test of the season at Wisconsin this week. That's followed up with a trip to Ohio State.

19. Florida: The Gators will finish the season with four out of five games away from home. It will be five of six if Florida wins the SEC East.

20. Utah: The Utes are another under-the-radar team, but they get a chance to make a lot of noise this week when they host undefeated Washington.

21. Southern California: The Trojans are just 4-3 but have played one of the toughest schedules in the country and have a win over Colorado.

22. Colorado: Mike MacIntyre has done a great job resurrecting Colorado football. The Buffaloes are now 6-2 after winning at Stanford.

23. Navy: The Midshipmen have a clear path to the West Division title in the AAC but will have to do the rest of the work almost entirely away from home. Fortunately, the one home game left is against Tulsa, which is the Middies' closest contender.

24. Baylor: The Bears had a bye this week, which actually improved their strength of schedule.

25. Washington State: The Cougars' two best wins have come on the road at Stanford and Arizona State, but that loss to Eastern Washington is an anchor.