ESPN’s Football Power Index projects the SEC to lose only two non-conference games next season
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If ESPN’s latest Football Power Index projections are accurate, it’s going to be a great year for the Southeastern Conference when it comes to its record against non-conference opponents.
According to ESPN’s updated FPI projections, the SEC is projected to drop only two non-conference regular season games in the 2019 college football season — with both losses coming at the hands of Clemson.
The Tigers are set to host Texas A&M on Sept. 7 and FPI gives Clemson a 88.5 percent chance of winning the game. The Tigers also close out the regular season by traveling to South Carolina, where FPI gives Dabo Swinney’s crew a 85.1 percent chance of leaving Columbia as victors.
Outside of those two games, FPI does not project another non-conference loss for a single SEC team next season. It should be noted that the Week 0 contest between Florida and Miami and the Week 1 Auburn vs. Oregon games has not been projected by FPI. No reason is listed for why these games have not been projected but FPI may be waiting to see which quarterbacks will start the season for Miami and Auburn.
Among the close calls on the list: Ole Miss has a 51.4 percent chance of beating Memphis Week 1 and Vanderbilt has a 51.4 percent chance of winning at Purdue Week 2.
If you are unfamiliar with how the FPI works, here is how ESPN explains their methodology when it comes to its projections:
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 10,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule. Ratings and projections update daily.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
