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ESPN Football Power Index favors neither Alabama nor Clemson

Published: Dec 6, 2015 · 3:52 PM EST

Oklahoma, not Alabama, has the best chance to win the national championship, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index.

SEC champion Alabama was the opening line even-money favorite to win the national title with Las Vegas oddsmakers. Oklahoma was the second choice at 9-4.

The Big 12 champion Sooners (11-1) are on a roll after beating Baylor, TCU and Oklahoma State to finish the season. Oklahoma climbed into the top 4 after a surprising 24-17 loss to Texas, which finished 5-7.

Oklahoma, the No. 4 seed in the College Football Playoff, will play No. 1 Clemson in the semifinals at the Orange Bowl. The winner will play the winner of the No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 3 Michigan State matchup in the Cotton Bowl for the national championship.

ESPN’s Football Power Index projects the No. 4 seed as having the best chance to win the national championship pic.twitter.com/tQ0jALbwKa

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 6, 2015

According to ESPN.com, the 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. Projected results are based on 10,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule. Ratings and projections update daily.

John Brasier