Alabama reinforced the SEC's dominance in college football, collecting the league's seventh straight BCS National Championship and the Crimson Tide's third in the past four years.

Notre Dame was overwhelmed and utterly dominated by the Tide on Monday night at Sun Life Stadium in Miami. The Fighting Irish made tremendous strides in 2012 and have every reason to be optimistic heading into 2013, but it will take some time for the sting from Monday night's thrashing to wear off.

If we learned something else after this bowl season, it's that a playoff cannot come soon enough. Anyone else interested to see how Oregon would have fared against the Tide? Me too.

With more than seven months before the start of the 2013 season, the teams and their order figure to change frequently, but it's never too early to take a look at the Way-Too-Early Top 25 for 2013:

1. Alabama Crimson Tide: Tired of Alabama yet? Get used to it. Unless coach Nick Saban unexpectedly leaves for the NFL, which isn't likely, two-time defending BCS national champion Alabama will again be the team to beat in 2013. Quarterback AJ McCarron is coming back, along with tailback T.J. Yeldon and wide receiver Kenny Bell. The Tide will have to rebuild their offensive line, though, with Rimington Trophy winner Barrett Jones and All-American guard Chance Warmack departing. On defense, nose guard Jesse Williams and safety Robert Lester are big losses, too. The Tide open the season with potentially challenging games against Virginia Tech in Atlanta and at Texas A&M, but they play most of their difficult SEC contests (Ole Miss, Arkansas, Tennessee and LSU) at home. With the way Saban and his staff are recruiting, the Tide don't figure to stop rolling anytime soon.

For more on how the Tide will look in 2013, check out Alabama's recruiting profile and ESPN RecruitingNation's class rankings.

2. Oregon Ducks: Another Chip Kelly flirtation with the NFL appears to end once again with Oregon's coach staying in Eugene. It looked as though Kelly might be filling one of several NFL job openings after the Ducks' win over Kansas State in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. With or without Kelly, Oregon figures to maintain its frenetic offensive pace and contend with Stanford in the Pac-12 North. As many as eight starters on offense and seven on defense could be back from a team that finished 12-1. Quarterback Marcus Mariota ranked in the top 10 in the country in passing efficiency in his first season as a starter, throwing 32 touchdowns with only six interceptions. The Ducks will miss tailback Kenjon Barner, who is leaving after running for 1,767 yards with 21 touchdowns, but they'll still have De'Anthony Thomas and promising freshman Byron Marshall. Linebackers Michael Clay and Kiko Alonso, the team's top tacklers, also are departing.

For more on how the Ducks will look in 2013, check out Oregon's recruiting profile and ESPN RecruitingNation's class rankings.

3. Stanford Cardinal: After playing in three consecutive BCS bowl games and winning the Rose Bowl Game presented by Vizio this season, Stanford might be poised to join the ranks of the perennial BCS national championship contenders. The Cardinal didn't miss a beat after losing Heisman Trophy finalist Toby Gerhart in 2009, coach Jim Harbaugh in 2010 and quarterback Andrew Luck in 2011. Not many programs in the country are equipped to overcome those kinds of losses, proving Harbaugh and current coach David Shaw haven't built a flash-in-the-pan program. Stanford might bring back as many as seven starters on offense and nine on defense if a few of its talented underclassmen don't leave early for the NFL draft. The Cardinal will miss senior tailback Stepfan Taylor, who ran for 1,530 yards with 13 touchdowns, but quarterback Kevin Hogan figures only to get better with more experience. The Cardinal look as if they're in the top 10 to stay, especially with uncertainty at USC.

For more on how the Cardinal will look in 2013, check out Stanford's recruiting profile and ESPN RecruitingNation's class rankings.

4. Ohio State Buckeyes: Is Ohio State capable of going unbeaten again when it really counts? The Buckeyes went 12-0 in coach Urban Meyer's first season, but they were ineligible to play in the Big Ten championship game or a bowl game because of NCAA probation. If quarterback Braxton Miller improves as a passer -- OSU ranked 101st nationally in passing with only 181.5 yards per game -- and his offensive line does a better job of protecting him (OSU quarterbacks were sacked 2.5 times per game), the Buckeyes should be better on offense. OSU will have to replace its entire defensive line, including star defensive end John Simon and defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, who's leaving for the NFL a year early. Two linebackers and cornerback Travis Howard also must be replaced from a defense that struggled mightily at times in 2012. Cornerback Bradley Roby's decision to return to Columbus for another season is welcome news for the Buckeyes' defense. OSU's schedule doesn't seem overly difficult; it plays nonconference games against Buffalo, San Diego State and Florida A&M at home and plays at California. The Buckeyes play Big Ten foes Wisconsin, Iowa and Penn State at home and don't play Nebraska or Michigan State in the regular season.

For more on how the Buckeyes will look in 2013, check out Ohio State's recruiting profile and ESPN RecruitingNation's class rankings.

5. Texas A&M Aggies: Here's what the Aggies accomplished in their first season in the SEC: They finished 11-2, upset No. 1 Alabama 29-24 on the road and blasted Oklahoma 41-13 in the Cotton Bowl, and quarterback Johnny Manziel became the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy. What can coach Kevin Sumlin possibly do for an encore in his second season at Texas A&M? Manziel will be back after passing for 3,706 yards with 26 touchdowns and running for 1,410 yards with 21 TDs. He'll have to find some new targets because three of his top receivers (Ryan Swope, Kenric McNeal and Uzoma Nwachukwu) are departing. Left tackle Luke Joeckel, a projected top-10 pick in the NFL draft, won't be back, but tackle Jake Matthews announced he will return for his senior season. The Aggies also lose six defensive starters, including dominating junior end Damontre Moore, who's leaving for the draft.

For more on how the Aggies will look in 2013, check out Texas A&M's recruiting profile and ESPN RecruitingNation's class rankings.

6. Georgia Bulldogs:
The Bulldogs might have one of the most explosive offenses in the country in 2013, now that quarterback Aaron Murray has announced he's returning for his senior season. UGA scored a school-record 529 points while going 11-2 in 2012, and receiver Tavarres King will be the only departed starter on offense. Murray completed 64.5 percent of his passes for 3,893 yards...