Where ESPN ranked Texas football in updated preseason FPI

The latest edition of the ESPN College Football Power Index rankings were released on Monday morning, and the Texas football program slid up a bit.

A lot of speculation around the college football landscape right now is associated with the status of the 2020 season given the novel coronavirus pandemic and precautions in place across the United States. College football could be one of the multiple sports impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak domestically. But there is still speculation from various media outlets as to where teams like Texas football will rank ahead of the coming season.

On April 20, ESPN released their latest update to the Football Power Index during the 2020 offseason. The updated edition of the FPI ranked out all 130 FBS programs based on a number of factors for the coming season. Strength of schedule, projected win-loss record, returning starters, and 2019 results, are just a few of the major factors encompassed in the FPI.

The FPI also shows where the Texas Longhorns football program would rank during the 2020 season. They also projected out the probability of Texas making a bowl game, winning the Big 12, going undefeated, etc.

All of these encompassing factors and projections saw the Longhorns held in pretty high regard by ESPN in this FPI model. Texas stacked up as the No. 11 team in the FBS in the updated FPI, just behind the rival Oklahoma Sooners. Oklahoma rang in at No. 10 and as the top team in the Big 12.

The only other Big 12 program that made it into the top 20 was the Oklahoma State Cowboys (at No. 17). There were two other Big 12 teams that made it into the top 30, though, including the TCU Horned Frogs (No. 21) and Iowa State Cyclones (No. 27).

The projection for the win-loss record for Texas this coming season sat at around 10-3. They were given around a 39 percent chance to win the Big 12 Championship, 10 percent chance to make the College Football Playoff, and 3 percent chance of winning the National Championship.

Oklahoma was just a notch above Texas in the percentage chance to win the Big 12, around 41 percent. The odds for the schools like Oklahoma State, TCU, and Iowa State were much lower than that of Texas and Oklahoma.

Texas finished up their 2019 season with a record of 8-5 (5-4 Big 12) after beating the Utah Utes in the Alamo Bowl on New Year’s Eve. Their toughest opponent on tap for the coming regular season schedule in this edition of the FPI is the defending National Champion LSU Tigers (who ranked at No. 6).