It will be important to be ranked in the top 4 by season's end in the AP (and hopefully the other polls as well). Even though the polls are arbitrary, the public outcry at the end of the season will be for the top 4 ranked teams in these polls to be in the playoffs. The polls are already driving the narrative (e.g. The commentators for the FSU game mentioned they were the #1 team in the country in their introduction yesterday). The committee will not stray too far from these arbitrary polls in its first year of existence. This is good news. Roll Tide.