Checking in on ESPN’s FPI after the Fiesta Bowl

Even after the gutwrenching loss to close the season, the Michigan Wolverines stayed put at the No. 4 spot in the updated ESPN Football Power Index (FPI) rankings.

The Maize and Blue also lay claim to the fourth spot in terms of overall efficiency: 12th offensively and seventh defensively. Strangely, this is the same spot they occupied before the Fiesta Bowl. The offense dropped from the seventh most efficient group in the country, and the defense fell from the sixth spot.

As expected, the Georgia Bulldogs are the heavy favorite to beat the TCU Horned Frogs for the National Championship after taking down Ohio State in the Peach Bowl. The FPI gives the Bulldogs a 72.2% chance of repeating. Georgia holds the first-overall spot in the rankings and can boast the title of the most efficient team in the nation. TCU comes in as the No. 10 team in the rankings and is the sixth most efficient team in the land.