Checking in on ESPN’s FPI projections prior to the Fiesta Bowl

As we enter the week leading up to the first round of the College Football Playoff, let’s check up on what ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) forecasts for the Michigan Wolverines.

According to the FPI, Michigan has the most impressive resume in the nation. Despite this, the ranking service still lists the Wolverines as the fourth-best team in America behind Georgia, Alabama and Ohio State, respectively. Likewise, the Maize and Blue are listed as the fourth most efficient team overall (seventh offensively and sixth defensively).

Michigan’s odds to beat the TCU Horned Frogs in the Fiesta Bowl saw a very slight uptick from our last check in from 66.5% to 67%. On the other side of the playoff bracket, the odds of Ohio State beating the Georgia Bulldogs are now 42.4%, up from the 41.9% chance the FPI had originally.

The Wolverines also saw their chances to win the National Championship drop a percentage point to 29%: the second-best of the contenders. As mentioned in the previous FPI article, these odds are better than what ESPN gave Michigan to beat Ohio State. Head the warning the Romans gave us and take all this with a grain of salt.