ESPN College Football FPI Lists Oklahoma, Iowa State in Top 4
ESPN.com released its college football Football Power Index (FPI) rankings and there were two Big 12 teams, Oklahoma and Iowa State, who found themselves in the Top 4, at No. 2 and No. 4, respectively.
How does ESPN’s FPI work?
Per ESPN, “FPI is a predictive rating system designed to measure team strength and project performance going forward. The ultimate goal of FPI is not to rank teams 1 through 128; rather, it is to correctly predict games and season outcomes. If Vegas ever published the power rankings it uses to set its lines, they would likely look quite a lot like FPI.”
But ESPN adds, “It is important to note what FPI is not — FPI is not a playoff predictor, and it is not designed to identify the four teams most deserving of making the College Football Playoff. “
Here’s a rundown of the Top 10 in the ESPN FPI preseason Top 10.
Oklahoma and Iowa State have already generated a ton of hype, even with the season months away. The Sooners return a ton of talent, led by Heisman favorite Spencer Rattler at quarterback. Meantime, Iowa State returns key players like Brock Purdy and Mike Rose in 2021, and the Cyclones are going to try and crash the College Football Playoff party.
However, Alabama is still the team to beat. ESPN writes in part, “The Crimson Tide have a 31% chance to defend their title as national champions, substantially up from the 17% our model gave them at this time last season. Alabama also has a 76% chance to reach the College Football Playoff — again, best of all teams — and is a slight odds-on favorite to win the SEC at 51%.”
I know the season is months away, but even just getting this kind of news gets me pumped up for the fall of 2021 to be here!
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