It wouldn't be ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI) without a little bit of controversy.
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ESPN released their third version of the rankings for the 2017 preseason on Wednesday, and usually big drops are not expected by teams at this point. However, one team in the Top 5 did take a bit of a tumble, as Oklahoma dropped from No. 3 to No. 4 after the retirement of head coach Bob Stoops.
Offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley has since taken over as the head coach for the Sooners since Stoops' retirement.
While dropping from No. 3 to No. 4 in a preseason rankings isn't usually that big of a deal, it is something that ESPN expects a statistical drop from the Sooners going from Stoops to Riley. While Stoops is a legend in Norman, most expected that Riley was due for a head coaching job soon anyways and that he would be ready for the challenge.
Overall, Ohio State maintains their whopping three-point FPI lead over Alabama for the No. 2 spot in the rankings. Ohio State has been the favorite according to ESPN since they first released the rankings, and an undefeated season could be in order if the ESPN system that ranks their strength of schedule so low turns out to be accurate.
The full FPI rankings can be seen on ESPN's site here.
[H/T The Oklahoman]
