The Football Power Index measures a plethora of factors in determining the ranking.
The FPI Explained:
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 20,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule. Ratings and projections update daily. FPI data from seasons prior to 2019 may not be complete.
According to the FPI, the Auburn Tigers football program is the No. 10 team in the country behind the Alabama Crimson Tide and Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC.
Here is what Heather Dinich (subscription required) had to say about War Eagle and their top ten ranking in the Football Power Index.
Auburn’s biggest obstacle according to ESPN:
Winning the SEC West. Auburn finished 6-7 last fall under Bryan Harsin, including just three SEC wins. Now it has the No. 1 strength of schedule in the country, which is a double-edged sword. It’s the perfect lineup to impress the selection committee — or eliminate Auburn quickly. In addition to an Oct. 8 crossover game at Georgia, Auburn is also on the road against Mississippi State and rival Alabama in November.
The path to the SEC West crown isn’t an easy one and it will run through Tuscaloosa. The Tigers will be on the road this year in the annual Iron Bowl game to close out the season. If they want to be among the best in the SEC West, they will have to win at Bryant-Denny Stadium for the first time since 2010.
What the committee will like?
Auburn’s defense, which is projected as the seventh-best unit in FBS. The Tigers ranked 22nd in defensive efficiency last season, and they rank 18th in returning defensive production, according to FPI.
What the committee won’t like?
Two losses by mid-October. It happened last year, and it could happen again. Auburn lost to Penn State and Georgia before the heart of the SEC schedule even began.
Auburn and head coach Bryan Harsin received no favors on the schedule in 2022 but that is just the way the cookie crumbles. Fortunately enough, the Tigers won’t leave the state of Alabama until October. After facing Mercer and San Jose State, Auburn will host Penn State, Missouri, and LSU before traveling to Athens for the ‘Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry’ on Oct. 8.
We will soon find out what this team is really made of.