2018 FPI Preseason Ratings
So the 2018 Football Power Index (FPI) Preseason Ratings have just posted, and the results are not terribly dissimilar from those posted last week by Bill Connelly of S&P+ fame, and they are not terribly dissimilar from last season's preseason's ratings for that matter, with the exception of Sparty, who has bounded back up into top-tendom.
These ratings are based on the following criteria:
- Team performance over the past four seasons (most emphasis on last season)
- Returning starters at quarterback, on offense overall and on defense
- Whether a team has a returning head coach
- Recruiting rankings over the past four seasons
Some notables? M is looking at a bitch of schedule, playing 5 of the top 12 teams, and 3 of those on the road. What's more, the next 3 highest rated opponents are in the upper half of the rankings, and the lowest 4 are at least in the third quartile.
As for the team breakdowns, the M defense remains elite, 2nd only to Clemson. M is also remarkably the elite-est in Special Teams! Offense looks to remain on the dicey side, and is what is clearly pulling this team down overall.
So here's a grab of the top 25 of the rankings, along with M's 2018 opponents in bold, including M, since if M is going to stand any chance of beating these other teams, the first thing they're going to have to do is not beat themselves.
| Rank | Team | FPI | Off. | Def. | S/T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clemson | 25.5 | 7 | 1 | 27 |
| 2 | Alabama | 23.2 | 4 | 8 | 8 |
| 3 | Georgia | 23.1 | 2 | 9 | 9 |
| 4 | Ohio State | 22.4 | 6 | 7 | 3 |
| 5 | Notre Dame | 22.3 | 11 | 3 | 10 |
| 6 | Washington | 22.3 | 8 | 6 | 5 |
| 7 | Auburn | 20.1 | 18 | 4 | 13 |
| 8 | Penn State | 19.9 | 3 | 18 | 14 |
| 9 | Oklahoma | 19.0 | 1 | 30 | 35 |
| 10 | Michigan State | 18.8 | 15 | 10 | 6 |
| 11 | Michigan | 18.8 | 32 | 2 | 1 |
| 12 | Wisconsin | 17.4 | 10 | 17 | 16 |
| 13 | Stanford | 16.4 | 5 | 34 | 7 |
| 14 | Miami (FL) | 16.2 | 23 | 11 | 20 |
| 15 | USC | 15.0 | 28 | 13 | 4 |
| 16 | Mississippi State | 14.8 | 19 | 15 | 56 |
| 17 | Texas | 14.2 | 58 | 5 | 2 |
| 18 | Florida State | 13.1 | 16 | 27 | 52 |
| 19 | Oregon | 12.5 | 20 | 24 | 40 |
| 20 | Texas A&M | 12.5 | 25 | 23 | 23 |
| 21 | Oklahoma State | 12.4 | 13 | 35 | 43 |
| 22 | Florida | 12.2 | 31 | 16 | 36 |
| 23 | Virginia Tech | 11.5 | 46 | 14 | 17 |
| 24 | Georgia Tech | 10.8 | 9 | 50 | 67 |
| 25 | Iowa | 10.6 | 38 | 21 | 18 |
| 32 | Northwestern | 8.5 | 57 | 20 | 19 |
| 50 | Nebraska | 4.0 | 49 | 63 | 15 |
| 60 | Maryland | 1.2 | 43 | 81 | 38 |
| 66 | Indiana | -1.4 | 79 | 70 | 48 |
| 68 | Rutgers | -1.8 | 90 | 54 | 29 |
| 72 | Western Michigan | -2.6 | 55 | 96 | 49 |
| 90 | Southern Methodist | -6.7 | 80 | 95 | 107 |
February 14th, 2018 at 9:21 PM ^
February 14th, 2018 at 9:34 PM ^
February 14th, 2018 at 9:33 PM ^
February 14th, 2018 at 9:44 PM ^
Hey, don't usally check in with you guys...but it's coming up to our game!
Friend of mine is a LOYAL poster on here and when we talk he tells me all this info about UM but also about ND??
It's gonna be a great game and he and I are actually going...
But with that being said here's some things he's read that weren't exactly accurate:
1. ND is not replacing 4 of it's 5 offensive lineman...We replace 2..McGlinchy and Nelson...both HUGE hits..but we had a true freshman start every game last year and he was playing at a position he's never played before...He's now going back to his natural fit...So the O line should be fine..
2. Our running backs all left...Adams did....Again HUGE HIT...but Dexter Williams has finally learned to pass block...and was averaging 9 yards a carry...so I think we should be fine there also..Oh and wide recivers it's almost embarrassing the amount of talent...
3. Defense FPI ranking is so high because: We return everyone expect our 2 middle linebackers...but again we have Drue Tranquill who played rover last year is a middle linebacker...and Coney returning is huge...We also have a hawaian kid who's a transfer and had to sit out last year we had to beat out the entire SEC to land... D wll be solid..
This game Patterson or not..will come down to turnovers and establishing the run...
It's gonna be fun... GO IRISH!
BTW...at least we both hate O$U.... Iowa??? really?
February 14th, 2018 at 10:17 PM ^
February 14th, 2018 at 11:16 PM ^
The word on the street is that ND might value academics, so we could have that in common. Possibly the only other schedule as brutal as Michigan's next year is ND's. So there's that as well. I could imagine that players from both teams like to spend time relaxing at Lake Michigan. That, and I think we both start the season with a night game. However, only one of us is going to win that first game.
Only one real comment on your team:
ND is not replacing 4 of it's 5 offensive lineman...We replace 2..McGlinchy and Nelson...both HUGE hits..but we had a true freshman start every game last year and he was playing at a position he's never played before...He's now going back to his natural fit...So the O line should be fine..
If you had a true fresh start on the O Line and is now going back to his natural spot, you still have to replace 2 positions on the O Line regardless of where he moves to as his old spot now needs replacement. Gary and Winovich.
February 15th, 2018 at 12:59 AM ^
February 15th, 2018 at 7:23 AM ^
February 15th, 2018 at 10:13 AM ^
This looks about right, other than both ND and MSU are way too high.
We will be taking care of that early next season, and BTW, Rudy was offsides.