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5 SEC teams make the ESPN FPI’s final Top 25 of 2020 season
By SDS Staff
Published:
With the book officially closed on the 2020 college football season, Tuesday is final rankings day.
The ESPN computers have calculated the Football Power Index’s final Top 25. Five SEC teams made the cut:
- Alabama
- Ohio State
- Clemson
- Oklahoma
- Georgia
- Texas
- Notre Dame
- Texas A&M
- Wisconsin
- Iowa State
- Florida
- Iowa
- BYU
- Cincinnati
- Oklahoma State
- Indiana
- Oregon
- USC
- Auburn
- Northwestern
- TCU
- UCF
- Arizona State
- Penn State
- Miami
The FPI, defined below, is always one of the more quirky college football ranking systems. For instance, 11-1 Coastal Carolina is No. 30 in the final FPI rankings, below a 3-4 UCLA (No. 29), 5-5 LSU (No. 28) and 4-5 Penn State (No. 24). It’s also surprising to see a 6-5 Auburn team ranked 19 above Northwestern, the team that handed the Tigers loss No. 5.
Here’s how ESPN defines the FPI:
The Football Power Index (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 20,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule. Ratings and projections update daily. FPI data from seasons prior to 2019 may not be complete.
The FPI’s full rankings of all 127 FBS teams can be viewed here.
Saturday Down South reports and comments on the news around the Southeastern Conference as well as larger college football topics.
