Playoff brackets require more schedule math than AP polls.
Context
Ty explains that a team can rank highly in a preseason AP ballot because the question is primarily who looks best. A playoff bracket is different: it requires projecting the schedule, identifying landmines, weighing conference losses, and deciding how a team's record will compare with other contenders.
That distinction is why the hosts can like USC, Ohio State, Texas, or Alabama while still placing them differently in the bracket. Talent starts the case; schedule decides how much of the case can survive.