Clemson Ranked Highly In ESPN Preseason FPI

ESPN’s preseason FPI rankings are out and the Clemson Tigers find themselves coming in at No. 4.

Alabama comes in at No. 1, with Ohio State No. 2. Last season’s national champion Georgia Bulldogs are No. 3, with Notre Dame rounding out the Top-5.

The most surprising thing about these rankings is the fact that ACC foe Pitt comes in at No. 9, despite losing quarterback Kenny Pickett. Former USC QB Kedon Slovis has been brought in to ease the loss.

What is FPI?

FPI is a predictive rating system designed to measure team strength and project performance going forward. The ultimate goal of FPI is not to rank teams 1 through 128; rather, it is to correctly predict games and season outcomes. If Vegas ever published the power rankings it uses to set its lines, they would likely look quite a lot like FPI.