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ESPN’s Football Power Index extremely high on Louisville football

By Dalton Pence

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - OCTOBER 05: Louisville Cardinals on the field before a kick off in the game against the Boston College Eagles at Cardinal Stadium on October 05, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - OCTOBER 05: Louisville Cardinals on the field before a kick off in the game against the Boston College Eagles at Cardinal Stadium on October 05, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /
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ESPN’s Football Power Index for 2020 was released and let’s just say things are looking good for Louisville football.

Many expect Louisville’s football program to take a considerable step forward in the second year of the Scott Satterfield era; that sentiment was echoed by ESPN’s 2020-21 college football preseason FPI (Football Power Index) rankings. Over the last few years, the FPI has served as a popular ranking system used by ESPN that factors a number of different statistics to determine win totals, individual win/loss projections, as well as other key metrics.

The newest release for the 2020 season, projected the Cardinals to win 10 games in the upcoming season with a 2.0 percent chance to win the conference and a 0.1 percent of going undefeated.

The Football Power Index takes many different factors into consideration such as key returners, the margin of victory fro the previous season, recruiting, etc. Outside of road games at Clemson (6.1 percent chance to win) and Notre Dame (34.6 percent), Louisville is favored to win every contest on the schedule. The Cardinals are set to have over 70 percent win probabilities against NC State, Murray State, Western Kentucky, Syracuse, and Wake Forest. The lowest-win probability falls on Halloween when Louisville is set to host Virginia Tech (57 percent).

The 12.9 FPI rating is ranked 20th in the nation, which is a huge nod to the success of Scott Satterfield in year one and the future for Louisville; despite the schedule being somewhat tougher than last season’s, it is inferred that the program will take a substantial leap forward. So now comes the question, what are the chances the Cards actually go 10-2? That record would essentially guarantee a high ranking and prestigious bowl. Let’s dive into both scenarios and how Louisville would meet both.

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