BYU quarterback Jaren Hall slides down after a run against Utah at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021. The Utes and Cougars are pegged to finish toward different ends of the Big 12 standings in 2024. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
For the first time since 2010, BYU and Utah will be in the same conference this fall as the Utes join the Big 12.
The expectations for the two rival schools are vastly different in football, though.
While Utah, which is moving over from the Pac-12, is seen as a College Football Playoff contender, the Cougars — in their second season in the Big 12 — are expected to struggle again after a losing season last year.
Those expectations are reflected in ESPN’s latest update to its Football Power Index rankings, which came out earlier this week.
The FPI, though, doesn’t favor Utah to win the Big 12 — and earn a coveted spot in the expanded CFP — as much as others outlets have.
ESPN describes the FPI as “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.”
Here’s a look at how the Big 12 projects in ESPN’s FPI, as it expands to 16 teams this year.
Big 12 teams in ESPN’s Football Power Index
Rank. Team — FPI score.
17. Kansas — 11.2.
22. Kansas State — 10.0.
24. Arizona — 9.2.
26. Oklahoma State — 7.6.
27. Utah — 7.5.
29. Texas Tech — 7.1.
30. TCU — 7.1.
32. UCF — 6.2.
35. West Virginia — 6.0.
36. Colorado — 6.0.
47. Iowa State — 3.8.
55. Baylor — 1.9.
63. Arizona State — minus-0.3.
65. Cincinnati — minus-0.8.
73. BYU — minus-1.5.
78. Houston — minus-2.7.
How does the Big 12 measure up against other power conferences in ESPN’s FPI?
With the Pac-12 reduced to just two teams, there are now only…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/espn-fpi-says-byu-utah-211930965.html
Author : Deseret News
Publish date : 2024-06-07 21:19:30
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