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You would’ve yawned if someone told you last year at this time that the four teams in the inaugural College Football Playoff would be Alabama, Florida State, Oregon and Ohio State – that was too obvious. Of course, the journey for those four powerhouses to get into the fun was hardly smooth, with TCU coming from out of nowhere and Baylor making a great case late in the process.

But at least they were in the discussion, which they wouldn’t have been during the BCS era.

Remember, it would’ve been an Alabama vs. Florida State national title game if the BCS was still in place, so what the playoff did more than anything else was open up the potential. Now that the polls don’t matter, there’s real, live hope for every team coming into the season.

Check that. Almost every team.

We know the basic criteria in place with the precedent set by the committee, so what’s the roadmap each team needs to try to follow to get into the 2016 College Football Playoff?

1) You must win your conference championship.
2) You must finish undefeated or with one loss – as long as there’s a championship.

3) Unless you’re truly special, you need not apply to the committee if you don’t have Parts 1 and 2.

It would’ve been interesting to have seen what would’ve happened last year had Ole Miss beaten Arkansas – the Rebels lost 30-0 – and finished the regular season with just two losses. Even at 9-3, it was enough to finish No. 9 in the final College Football Playoff rankings and get into one of the big bowls, but the resume would’ve been fantastic at 10-2.

No, it wouldn’t have been enough to bounce out Ohio State or Florida State, but the Rebels had wins over Boise State, Alabama and Mississippi State to argue their point.

Other than the obvious – winning the SEC title and finishing the regular season unbeaten or with one loss – how is it possible for Ole Miss to get into the championship chase? What’s the Path to the Playoff?

Of course, it’s all easier said than done to simply win home games and upset Alabama in an SEC with dangerous nightmares each and every week, but the Ole Miss schedule isn’t all that bad, and there’s more than enough talent in place to be a threat – this team might actually be better than the 2014 version.

Step One: Come up with a starting quarterback

No, you don’t have Bo Wallace to kick around anymore, but despite the occasional meltdowns and the puzzling interceptions, he was a good SEC quarterback who also came up with more than his share of big moments – the dude was the school’s all-time leading total offense leader. Clemson transfer Chad Kelly is the favorite to take over the gig, but the job is open with DeVante Kincaid and Ryan Buchanan also in the mix. Here’s the problem: the Rebels probably won’t have a No. 1 guy until the opener against Tennessee-Martin. With Alabama the third game of the season, the faster this is settled, obviously, the better.

Step Two: Get Laremy Tunsil and Laquon Treadwell back

The Treadwell leg injury against Auburn turned out to be one of the season’s saddest moments. It didn’t just take an NFL-caliber receiver away from the offense, he missed scoring a touchdown on the play by mere inches. If he had gotten in, Ole Miss wins – it lost 35-31 – and it still would’ve been knee-deep in the hunt for the SEC West title.

Just as disastrous was the injury added to the insult of a Peach Bowl loss to TCU, losing a future NFL starting offensive tackle in Tunsil to a fractured fibula.

According to Chuck Rounsaville of OMSpirit.com, both superstars should be all systems go by the time the season starts. That might be asking a lot considering the severity of both injuries, but they’re each on track. These two aren’t just two of college football’s best players, they’re difference-makers who could make a good team playoff-worthy.

Step Three: Get the O line together

Making matters worse in the reloading mode is the offensive line in general. Not having Tunsil around is bad enough, but other key parts of the line are banged up, too. Overall, though, the front five should be solid as the year goes on with plenty of talent and enough depth to create a few good options, but to have any shot at the playoff, the studs need to be back and healthy in time to …

Step Four: Beat Alabama at Alabama

Ole Miss can lose this game and still have a shot at getting in by winning everything else, but a second win in a row over the Crimson Tide on September 19th should set the tone for another massive start. Alabama is rebuilding and reloading, too, and while it’s going to be good again, as always, this might not be one of Nick Saban’s best teams – it could be getable early on. If the Rebels are good enough to win in Tuscaloosa, they should be good enough to win at Florida. Do that, and it’s an 8-0 start going into the road date at Auburn as long the Rebels can …

Step Five: Take care of home

UT Martin, Fresno State, Vanderbilt and New Mexico State shouldn’t be a problem in Oxford, but the real tests come in the second half against Texas A&M, Arkansas and LSU. Again, beating Alabama might not be an absolute must if the Rebels can take care of everything else, and that means not losing on the road at Memphis, taking care of Florida in The Swamp, and …

Step Six: At least split between Auburn and Mississippi State on the road

10-2 without an SEC West title and a shot at the conference championship doesn’t get Ole Miss into the playoff, but 11-1 should take the division if one of those two losses come to Auburn or Mississippi State.

All that matters is winning the SEC championship, and if Ole Miss finishes 11-2 with a conference title – in. But if there’s a loss to Alabama early on, there can’t be any other slips. By the end of the season, and by the time the trips have to be taken to Auburn and Starkville, Ole Miss should be fully jelled.

At least that’s the hope.

Is It Going To Happen?: It’s going to take a whole bunch of massive breaks, the offense has to be more effective, and the defense has to maintain the pre-TCU high level it showed throughout last year. Winning at Alabama is asking too much, and coming away with wins at Florida, Auburn and Mississippi State might be impossible. Also, don’t just assume wins at home against Texas A&M, LSU and Arkansas – those teams can play a little, too.