Lawless Republic
Fansided

Where did BYU football land in ESPN’s 2017 Football Power Index?

By Nathan Cunningham

Sep 3, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Brigham Young Cougars defensive back Dayan Lake (5) runs on to the field before the game against the Arizona Wildcats at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cougars won 18-16. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 3, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Brigham Young Cougars defensive back Dayan Lake (5) runs on to the field before the game against the Arizona Wildcats at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cougars won 18-16. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Worldwide Leader in Sports released its 2017 Football Power Index today. Where did BYU football land in the rankings?

ESPN unveiled its Football Power Index rankings, and BYU football checked in at the No. 48 spot.

The rankings had the Cougars projected for 8.6 wins and 4.4 losses.

For those unfamiliar with Football Power Index rankings, here’s the description from ESPN.

“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 10,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule.”

The rest of BYU football’s schedule is ranked as follows (projected records in parentheses):

No. 6: LSU (9.0-3.1)

More from Lawless Republic

No. 10: Wisconsin (10.6-2.2)

No. 33: Mississippi State (6.1-6.0)

No. 49: Utah (5.2-6.8)

No. 57: Boise State (8.1-4.3)

No. 93: Utah State (4.9-7.1)

No. 98: East Carolina (3.8-8.2)

No. 104: UNLV (5.4-6.7)

No. 108: Hawaii (4.6-7.5)

No. 109: Fresno State (4.2-7.9)

No. 111: San Jose State (4.2-8.9)

No. 114: UMass (4.1-7.9)

One has to imagine that BYU football’s four projected losses would be LSU, Wisconsin, Mississippi State and Utah. Getting the Badgers and Utes in Provo helps the Cougars’ chances. Still, those are incredibly difficult games to win.

If BYU can manage to take two of three from Utah, Wisconsin and Mississippi State, the Cougars could have 11 wins entering bowl season. Regardless of who they beat, strength of schedule, or other metrics, that means BYU is ranked in the Top 25.

It might even mean a New Year’s Six bowl. Because LSU and Wisconsin will likely be top 10 teams, losing to those two schools won’t hurt BYU’s resume.

There’s obviously a lot that will unfold between now and when the season begins, but it’s never too early to start thinking.

Home/BYU Football