ESPN Football Power Index Releases Full 2020 Rankings
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 28: Quarterback Trevor Lawrence #16 of the Clemson Tigers is congratulated by teammates after scoring a rushing touchdown during the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl against the Ohio State Buckeyes at State Farm Stadium on December 28, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. The Tigers defeated the Buckeyes 29-23. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
We're still more than six months away from the 2020 college football season, but ESPN has already released its early Football Power Index (FPI) rankings.
According to ESPN, FPI is "a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team's performance going forward for the rest of the season. FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is." A team's FPI often changes daily throughout the season.
Ohio State finished as the top team in the 2019 FPI despite losing in the College Football Playoff semifinal. That was a little bit shocking, but not surprisingly, Clemson ranks No. 1 in the early FPI preseason rankings. The Tigers are likely to be the top team in both major preseason polls this summer.
After Clemson, Ohio State, Alabama, Oklahoma and Penn State complete the top five. LSU, the defending national champion, checks in at No. 12. Most likely, this is because the Tigers will lose a lot of talent off its undefeated title-winning roster.
The full FPI top 25 is as follows:
- Clemson
- Ohio State
- Alabama
- Oklahoma
- Penn State
- Wisconsin
- Texas
- Texas A&M
- Notre Dame
- Georgia
- Florida
- LSU
- USC
- Oregon
- Auburn
- Michigan
- Oklahoma State
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Minnesota
- UCF
- Nebraska
- Florida State
- Utah
- Virginia Tech
You can read ESPN's full FPI rankings and analysis here.
The FPI will be updated throughout the offseason.
