Updated SEC division championship FPI percentages; Florida-LSU postponement shifts East odds
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We are now officially at the midseason point of the 2016 college football regular season. With the majority of SEC teams having played half their schedule entering Week 7, the race for each division appears to be down to two teams – that is if you put stock in ESPN’s Football Power Index.
According to the FPI’s projections, undefeated Alabama currently has a 60 percent chance to win the West, while fellow undefeated Texas A&M has a 31 percent chance of doing the same. Meanwhile, in the East, 5-1 Tennessee has a 63 percent chance of winning the division (down from 84 percent last week) compared to 4-1 Florida’s 34 percent.
Check out the complete breakdown here:
TENN's chance to win the East fell from 84% last week to 63% currently. Accounts for Vols' loss to A&M and impact of FLA-LSU postponement. pic.twitter.com/Bavq6Ev6YQ
— Sharon Katz (@skatz23) October 9, 2016
When reached for comment, Katz explained to SDS that the decision to postpone the Florida-LSU game increased the school’s odds to win the East by 10 percent. Also of note, this chart does not consider the fact that Florida could face LSU this season. At this moment, the LSU game has simply been removed from Florida’s FPI calculations until the game is officially rescheduled.
If Florida/the SEC does not reschedule the LSU game, the Gators are projected to win every remaining SEC game on the schedule by FPI’s metrics:
According to ESPN's updated FPI, Florida is not projected to lose another SEC game – FWIW, no LSU game listed pic.twitter.com/mAwqymTN2G
— SEC Mike (@MichaelWBratton) October 9, 2016
Meaning for Tennessee, this weekend’s home game against No. 1 Alabama could be for more bragging rights in that rivalry, it could very well be the difference between winning and losing the division to Florida.
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
