It's a little less troublesome considering 4 teams get in and the head-to-heads should, for the most part, sort out at least a top 4.
But it's still an unfair advantage that "because they're Alabama" is enough of an excuse for a team in complete re-build mode with a 3* backup transfer QB to justify Number Fucking 2 in the country.
Meanwhile we truly are in the rare returning & reloading year, and we get bumped down four spots from where we ended last year? Irrational. Swap us and Bama and that list makes sense and is based on SOME logic besides "Well, but Saban."