The only way to win the college football national championship is to make the four-team playoff. The best way to make the playoff is to win a Power 5 Conference championship. Not the only way. And not even a conference title guarantees a spot in the playoff. But the best way.
That’s why I always look at the preseason odds on teams to win a conference. They offer an early look at which teams the public considers the best bets to win.
That’s not any kind of scientific method. Popularity plays a big part. Texas almost will always be a bigger favorite than OSU or Kansas State, even when a minimal amount of research will tell you otherwise.