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USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
What odds does ESPN's FPI give LSU football of making the College Football Playoff
According to ESPN's 2025 College Football Power Index, LSU has a 30.3% of making the College Football Playoffs. The Tigers' chances rank No. 13 nationally and No. 7 among SEC teams. Teams from the conference take up seven of the top 13 spots, followed by three from the Big Ten and two from the ACC. With the top-ranked transfer portal class in 2025 and a bevy of critical returners, head coach Brian Kelly fully expects to make the cut and compete for championships in the conference and nationally. Those returners include quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, running back Caden Durham, as well as linebackers Whit Weeks and Harold Perkins. LSU opens the season on the road against Clemson. In what will likely be a top-10 matchup in week one, we'll get a feel for where the Tigers stand against one of the nation's top teams. Fellow Heisman contender quarterback Cade Klubnik will lead an offense stacked with talent at wide receiver against a retooled LSU defense.
USA Today
05-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Initial FPI rankings place Florida in College Football Playoff picture
Initial FPI rankings place Florida in College Football Playoff picture Florida's return to national prominence in 2025 appears likely, with DJ Lagway leading the offense. ESPN's recent relaunch of the College Football Power Index has the Gators among the top 20 teams in contention for an NCAA Championship. Florida sits at No. 18 on the 2025 College FPI with a 14.3 power index. ESPN projects the Gators to finish the 2025 season with a 6.4-5.6 record and gives UF a 68.2% chance to reach six wins (bowl eligibility). But Florida also plays the toughest schedule in the country, according to ESPN, which means a seven-win season could be enough to sneak into the playoffs. Florida's CFP odds sit at a surprisingly high 14.5%, and 0.7% odds to win the national championship are the 19th best. "FPI is a predictive rating system that estimates each FBS team's strength (in points per game relative to the national average) on offense, defense and special teams, making adjustments for starters lost, recruiting talent and other personnel changes," Paine reminds us. "Those numbers are then plugged into the schedule, and everything is simulated 20,000 times to track each team's odds of winning its conference, making the playoff and advancing through to the national title." FPI projects the SEC to send 4.6 teams to the College Football Playoff this year, with Alabama, Georgia and Texas being the strongest candidates. Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Texas A&M make up the next tier of SEC teams, with South Carolina and Oklahoma on the outer edge. Florida is behind all of them, but a few key wins could change things. ESPN highlights an Oct. 4 matchup with Texas and the Georgia game on Nov. 1 as the most anticipated games on Florida's schedule, ranking Nos. 6 and 15 on the national schedule. The biggest reason for optimism is Florida being ranked inside the top 20 on both offense and defense. The Gators' 7.0 offensive FPI ranks No. 14 and is the result of a 27-spot jump over the offseason. On defense, a 6.4 rating is good for No. 16 in the country, one spot up from the last update. Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
How tough is Alabama football 2025 schedule? How it compares to rest of college football
Alabama football's 2025 schedule is not easy. Starting with a road game against Florida State Aug. 30, the Crimson Tide has to navigate home games against SEC powers like Tennessee, LSU and Oklahoma along with road games at Georgia, South Carolina and Auburn. Advertisement According to ESPN's College Football Power Index, the Crimson Tide has the 10th-toughest schedule in the sport in 2025. Each of the top 11 teams listed in terms of strength of schedule are from the SEC, starting with Florida, Vanderbilt and Oklahoma. Wisconsin, at No. 12, holds the toughest schedule in the Big Ten. Syracuse, at No. 17, holds the toughest schedule in the ACC. And Oklahoma State, at No. 39, holds the toughest schedule in the Big 12, one spot ahead of Notre Dame. Liberty holds the easiest schedule in college football heading into the 2025 season. Despite the 10th-toughest schedule heading into 2025, Alabama has the fourth-best odds to reach the College Football Playoff (66.2%) and to reach the national championship game (20.2%). The Crimson Tide is also tied for the third-best odds to win a national championship with Ohio State at 10.8%. Advertisement Alabama opens the 2025 season at Florida State at 2:30 p.m. Aug. 30 on ABC. Alabama football 2025 schedule Alabama at Florida State; Aug. 30, 2:30 p.m. CT on ABC, Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, Florida Alabama vs Louisiana Monroe; Sept. 6, Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama; 6:45 p.m., SEC Network Alabama vs. Wisconsin; Sept. 13, Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama; 11 a.m., ABC or ESPN Alabama at Georgia; Sept. 27, Sanford Stadium, Athens, Georgia Alabama vs. Vanderbilt; Oct. 4, Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama Alabama at Missouri; Oct. 11, Memorial Stadium, Columbia, Missouri Alabama vs. Tennessee; Oct. 18, Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama Alabama at South Carolina; Oct. 25, Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, South Carolina Alabama vs. LSU; Nov. 8, Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama Alabama vs. Oklahoma; Nov. 15, Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama Alabama vs. Eastern Illinois; Nov. 22, Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama Alabama at Auburn; Nov. 29, Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, Alabama Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@ or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter. This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama football 2025 strength of schedule per ESPN FPI
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Will Alabama football make 2025 College Football Playoff? What metric shows
Alabama football has not played a snap in 2025. But, according to one metric, the Crimson Tide has the fourth-best odds of any college football team to reach the College Football Playoff. Alabama, per ESPN's College Football Power Index, has a 66.2% chance to be one of the 12 teams in the 2025 CFP, sitting behind only Texas (83.9%), Georgia (78.6%) and Ohio State (70.6%). Advertisement The Crimson Tide is also one of four teams with better than 10% odds to win a national championship along with the Longhorns, Bulldogs and Buckeyes. Of the top 12 teams listed according to CFP chances, six are in the SEC: Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Ole Miss. The ESPN College Football Power Index sets Alabama's projected win total at 9.6, tied for ninth-best nationally with Boise State. Alabama will open the second season of the Kalen DeBoer era at 2:30 p.m. CT Aug. 30 on the road against Florida State. Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@ or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter. This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama football 2025 College Football Playoff chances per ESPN FPI
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What is Alabama football path to 2025 SEC championship? What metrics show
ESPN's College Football Power Index gives Alabama football a fighting chance at an SEC title. The Crimson Tide has the third-best FPI, the fourth-best chance to make the College Football Playoff and the third-best chance to win a national championship. And the odds are just as good for Alabama to secure its 35th SEC title. Advertisement Alabama, per the FPI metrics, has a 17.2% chance of winning the SEC in 2025 behind Texas (34.1%) and Georgia (26.9%). With the 10th-toughest schedule in college football, what could be Alabama's path to an SEC title? Here are three things Crimson Tide fans should watch out for based on ESPN's FPI rankings: Alabama could enter SEC championship with two losses Texas and Georgia, the two teams with the best chances of reaching the SEC championship game, are projected to finish the regular season — including a possible conference title game — with two losses. The Bulldogs, which won the SEC championship in 2024, did so with regular-season losses to the Crimson Tide and Ole Miss. Advertisement ESPN's FPI rankings project Alabama to finish the 2025 regular season with 2.8 losses, slightly more than the Longhorns (2.1) and Georgia (2.3). SEC championship teams shouldn't be expected to arrive in Atlanta without a scratch. Alabama at Georgia could be turning point in SEC championship race Just like 2024, the storyline surrounding Alabama's opening SEC game against Georgia will likely be its SEC championship implications. Head-to-head against the Bulldogs could play a big factor in who reaches the SEC title game. And while both Alabama and Georgia each have long conference schedules after facing off — something the Crimson Tide knows well — the trajectory of each team in 2025 could be decided in Athens. Alabama football month-long stretch may decide SEC championship hopes Alabama vs. Georgia may put the Crimson Tide on its SEC championship trajectory. But one five-week stretch will definitively set Alabama's path toward or away from Atlanta. Advertisement After starting its conference schedule at Georgia, vs. Vanderbilt and at Missouri, Alabama will face a four-game stretch against teams ranked in the top-16 in FPI: Tennessee, South Carolina, LSU and Oklahoma. Even if Alabama falls to Georgia, or loses to Vanderbilt or Missouri, one single loss will not change the importance of the Crimson Tide's Oct. 18-to-Nov. 15 stretch, one that will define Alabama as either an SEC championship game favorite, or a team that is fighting for its College Football Playoff life. Alabama football schedule 2025 Alabama at Florida State; Aug. 30, 2:30 p.m. CT on ABC, Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, Florida Alabama vs Louisiana Monroe; Sept. 6, Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama; 6:45 p.m., SEC Network Alabama vs. Wisconsin; Sept. 13, Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama; 11 a.m., ABC or ESPN Alabama at Georgia; Sept. 27, Sanford Stadium, Athens, Georgia Alabama vs. Vanderbilt; Oct. 4, Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama Alabama at Missouri; Oct. 11, Memorial Stadium, Columbia, Missouri Alabama vs. Tennessee; Oct. 18, Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama Alabama at South Carolina; Oct. 25, Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, South Carolina Alabama vs. LSU; Nov. 8, Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama Alabama vs. Oklahoma; Nov. 15, Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama Alabama vs. Eastern Illinois; Nov. 22, Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama Alabama at Auburn; Nov. 29, Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, Alabama Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@ or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter. This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama football path to SEC championship according to ESPN FPI metrics
