Hogs ranked 10th in ESPN Preseason Football Power Index
by February 8, 2015 1:10 pm 116 views
Expectations are high for the Football Razorbacks. ESPN’s Preseason Football Power Index, an estimate of team strength, lists Arkansas as the No. 10 team in the nation entering the 2015 season.
Arkansas is one of seven SEC teams in the Top 15 and plays eight in the Preseason FPI Top 25. The Razorbacks are one of just four teams the power index ranks in the Top 15 in offense and defense.
Following are the top 10 FPI teams.
• Ohio State
• Alabama
• LSU
• Baylor
• Oregon
• TCU
• Notre Dame
• Ole Miss
• Georgia
• Arkansas
FPI is an estimate of team strength – not a ranking of who will have the highest win total (which is dependent on schedule) and not who is most likely to make the College Football Playoff. Preseason FPI is calculated using three major components for each FBS team: prior years’ offense, defense and special teams efficiencies; returning starters and head coach information; and recruiting rankings.
Last season, the top three teams in the Preseason FPI (Florida State, Oregon and Alabama) made the inaugural College Football Playoff.
The Razorback offense returns a pair of 1,000 yard rushers in Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins and a fifth-year quarterback in starter Brandon Allen. Nine offensive starters are expected back on the hill as the Razorback offense checks in at No. 10 nationally in the Preseason FPI.
The Arkansas defense was the most improved unit in the SEC last season and returns six starters in 2015. The Razorbacks finished in the Top 10 last year in both total and scoring defense. The Preseason FPI projects Arkansas’ defense at No. 13 in the nation heading into the 2015 campaign.