Penn State football: ESPN's Football Power Index rates Penn State's Big Ten title chances

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Published Jul 9, 2021

ESPN's Football Power Index rates Penn State's Big Ten title chances

David Eckert • Happy Valley Insider

Staff

@davideckert98

Owing to a data error that skewed the rankings released earlier in the year, ESPN has re-released its Football Power Index ratings.

The Nittany Lions will enter the 2021 season ranked by FPI as the No. 13 team in the country, despite last season's 4-5 finish.

Here's the full top 15:

1. Alabama

2. Clemson

3. Oklahoma

4. Ohio State

5. Georgia

6. Texas A&M

7. Texas

8. Notre Dame

9. Iowa State

10. Miami

11. Florida

12. Oregon

13. Penn State

14. North Carolina

15. Auburn

And here's where each of the Big Ten teams fall in the updated ratings:

Ohio State — 4

Penn State — 13

Wisconsin — 17

Iowa — 23

Indiana — 27

Michigan — 28

Northwestern — 31

Michigan State — 45

Purdue — 49

Nebraska — 51

Minnesota — 55

Maryland — 61

Rutgers — 75

Illinois — 87

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ESPN's formula makes Ohio State the odds-on favorite to win yet another conference crown, with the Buckeyes coming in with 70 percent odds. Wisconsin follows at 11 percent, and the Nittany Lions sit third at 6 percent.

FPI expects that the Nittany Lions will win 8.4 games this season, and gives Penn State a 9.6 percent chance of claiming the Big Ten East crown, and a 3.5 percent chance of reaching the College Football Playoff for the first time.

Based on the formula's initial rating, Penn State has the 27th-most difficult strength of schedule in the country.

Among the other odds and ends from ESPN"s re-release is that FPI rates Penn State's Week 12 bout with the Buckeyes as the game with the seventh-largest potential impact on the race for the College Football Playoff, behind Alabama-Texas A&M, Georgia-Clemson, Oklahoma-Texas, Georgia-Florida, Iowa State-Oklahoma and Alabama-Florida.

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