ESPN College Football Power Rankings: Bama, Clemson rule (again)

— -- Can Alabama repeat as College Football Playoff champions? Do Deshaun Watson and Clemson have the goods to get back to the title game again? Does Year 2 of the Jim Harbaugh Era mean a playoff run for Michigan?

So many questions ... good thing we have enough experts and data to provide an answer to any and all of your 2016 queries. With help from ESPN Insiders, plus a healthy dose of ESPN's Football Power Index, we were able to plot out how the whole year would play out.

A hint: As much as things stay the same (hello, Bama and Clemson at the very top), look out for a bunch of CFP party crashers.

New quarterback, new running back, new defensive coordinator ... no problem in Tuscaloosa, where the Tide begin 2016 the same way they ended last season: at the top of the college football heap.

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Top 25 voters?Edward Aschoff, ESPN staff writer; Butch Davis, ESPN analyst, former coach at Miami and North Carolina; Heather Dinich, ESPN staff writer; Brad Edwards, ESPN Radio College GameDay analyst, ESPN Insider; Chris Fallica, ESPN senior researcher, "The Bear" on College GameDay; Rod Gilmore, ESPN analyst, former Stanford cornerback; Danny Kanell, ESPN analyst, former Florida State quarterback; Chris Low, ESPN senior writer; Ivan Maisel, ESPN senior writer; Ryan McGee, ESPN senior writer; Brett McMurphy, ESPN college football Insider; Adam Rittenberg, ESPN staff writer; Mark Schlabach, ESPN senior writer

Top 25 projections Football Power Index: FPI predicts and ranks team strength based on expected points added from offense, defense and special teams, adjusted for opponent strength. Using preseason FPI, ESPN Stats & Information has projected each team's chances to win every game on its schedule as well as its chances to take home a conference crown.