Alabama, Clemson, Michigan, and Washington may be the Top 4 teams in the College Football Playoff rankings, but not everyone thinks those are the four best teams in the country.
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ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI) has a different take on the matter using its own statistical measures. According to FPI, Alabama and Michigan are indeed among the Top 4 teams in the nation, but Clemson and Washington? Not so much.
Instead, FPI has both Ohio State and Louisville just over Clemson, and in by a wide margin over Washington. The big killer for Washington is their strength of schedule compared to the rest of the current top teams in college football. According to FPI, none of the teams that Washington has played so far rank in the Top 25 — not even Utah.
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That will change this week when Washington plays USC, which ranks No. 12 in FPI. If Washington really wants to make another big statement to college football, they can do so against the Trojans.
As for Clemson — why do they rank below Louisville despite having a win over the Cardinals and the edge in strength of schedule? People have criticize Louisville recently for their close calls against Virginia and Duke, but Clemson isn't without their close calls, either. Remember that 30-24 win over Troy earlier in the season? That and the overtime win against N.C. State didn't rate well in FPI.
