College football begins this week which should have fans of the sport thrilled.
Texas fans have another reason to be excited for football this year. The Longhorns are viewed as one of the most talented teams in the country, and for the first time since 2009 people outside of the fan base are actually buying into the hype for Texas.
While hype doesn’t really mean much, it could mean a little more coming from ESPN’s FPI which is best explained on their site as:
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.
The FPI provided game-by-game predictions for Texas, and the Longhorns are favored in every single game but their Week 2 matchup against Alabama. A game that I recently explained, win or lose, cannot determine the rest of the season for Texas. If they win it will help them reach their goals, but they still need to finish business the rest of the season. If they lose, everything they want to accomplish is still possible.
In terms of what percent chance the FPI gave Texas to beat Alabama, it is a putrid 26.7%. For reference, Texas’ other lowest projected chance came against Oklahoma which was at 62.8%.
The Longhorns should like their chances against an Alabama team with a murky quarterback situation, but only time will tell.