Entering Friday’s showdown against Houston (1-1), ESPN’s “Football Power Index” (FPI) gave No. 14 BYU (5-0) a 22.9% chance of finishing the season undefeated.
BYU was given a 33% chance at running the table two weeks ago, however, a close 27-20 victory over UTSA dropped the Cougars’ chances down significantly.
However, after going on the road and taking down Houston 43-26 in convincing fashion, BYU’s chances of finishing the season undefeated jumped to a season high 48.8%. The Cougars came into the game against Houston with the fifth best chance to finish the season undefeated, and are now the current favorites to finish unbeaten.
ESPN’s FPI also gives BYU a 14% chance of making the College Football Playoff. USC is just above the Cougars at 16% and Notre Dame is right behind at 13%.
ESPN's FPI Index gives BYU (48.8%) the best chance to go undefeated. #BYUFOOTBALL #GoCougs #CFB pic.twitter.com/jXIc4rm3Ff
— Fan Insider (@FanInsider_) October 17, 2020
While the Cougars will travel to play Boise State next month in what should be a Top 25 matchup between both teams, ESPN’s FPI had Houston as BYU’s toughest matchup this season. FPI gave BYU just a 52% chance of beating Houston and currently give the Cougar a 60.4% chance of beating Boise State.
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. Projected results are based on 10,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule.
BYU’s Schedule
Game 1: @ Navy: W (Was 32.1%)
Game 2: Troy: W (Was 83.6%)
Game 3: Louisiana Tech: W (Was 92.9%)
Game 4: UTSA: W (Was 97.6%)
Game 5: @ Houston: 52.3% (Was 65.1%)
Game 6: Texas State: 96.4% (Was 95.9%)
Game 7: Western Kentucky: 95.0% (Was 94.0%)
Game 8: @ Boise State: 60.4% (Was 56.1%)
Game 9: North Alabama: 99.8% (Was 99.7%)
Game 10: San Diego State: 88.1% (Was 86.1%)
ESPN FPI Rankings
1- Ohio State
2- Clemson
3- Alabama
4- Georgia
5- Wisconsin
6- Penn State
7- Oregon
8- Notre Dame
9- Florida
10- USC
11- Texas
12- UCF
13- Auburn
14- Oklahoma State
15- Oklahoma
16- LSU
17- Michigan
18- BYU
19- Virginia Tech
20- Indiana
21- Utah
22- Northwestern
23- Tennessee
24- North Carolina
25- Iowa
