Well, in the Lions case, it's their own incompetence that puts them out of the running. They theoretically have a shot at the Super Bowl regardless of where the ESPN Power Rankings put them before Week 1.
In the the case of say... any college team not in the Top 15 of a preseason poll... they're out of the running because of things beyond their control.
In the the case of say... any college team not in the Top 15 of a preseason poll... they're out of the running because of things beyond their control.
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