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ESPN has updated its 2021 preseason Football Power Index (FPI), giving fans an idea of which teams might be in the best position to reach the College Football Playoff next season. That brings up an interesting question: what are the most likely combinations?
Thanks to the FPI, we have seen a few.
On Thursday, ESPN shared some information on the four most-likely combinations we’ll see from the College Football Playoff at the end of the 2021 season. Only two teams are in all four — Clemson and Alabama.
The other teams also in the mix are Ohio State, Iowa State, Oklahoma and Texas A&M. Here are the four likely combinations, according to ESPN’s FPI:
- Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Oklahoma — 10%
- Alabama, Clemson, Iowa State, Oklahoma — 7%
- Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma, Texas A&M — 4%
- Alabama, Clemson, Iowa State, Ohio State — 4%
Last year’s four-team field consisted of Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson and Notre Dame. The Crimson Tide defeated the Buckeyes in the national championship.
You can see a complete list from ESPN+.
Iowa State shows up TWICE in our possible playoff combinations 😳
More from our preseason FPI ratings ➡️ (ESPN+) https://t.co/Xc5Qq9yjZT pic.twitter.com/HMJJhNiByy
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) April 15, 2021
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB