Clemson Football: ESPN FPI Projections have Bama as early favorite

Clemson football is ranked No. 1 in the land, but it certainly doesn’t feel that way if you listened to the experts or looked at the metrics.

Clemson football finished No. 1 in the College Football Playoff rankings. The Tigers will take on the No. 4 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide on January 1st in the Sugar Bowl.

While Clemson may be the higher ranked team, the Tigers are an underdog in almost every sense of the phrase.

ESPN’s latest Football Power Index (FPI) projections give Alabama a 58 percent chance to win the game in New Orleans.

The FPI gives the Crimson Tide a 35 percent chance to win the national championship. According to the index, Clemson has a 23 percent chance, while Georgia comes in at 24 percent and Oklahoma at 18 percent.

Thoughts:

The FPI loves it some SEC football.

I’m not sure what metrics they put into the computer to start with, but it always tends to favor SEC teams.

If you’re a Clemson football fan, you should enjoy this. The Tigers always tend to play better as the underdog and they will certainly assume that role in this game. Even if it’s not really true.

In my opinion, the Tigers are the more talented team on both sides of the ball, but you never give up a chance to put a chip on your shoulder.

Clemson has been a Vegas underdog the past seven postseason outings. The Tigers are 6-1 straight-up in those games.

Dabo Swinney certainly knows how to get ready for these games and I have no doubt Clemson will come out firing on all cylinders when this one kicks off in just 18 days.

Next: Clemson vs. Alabama: Who has the more dominant defense?

Make sure you check back here on Rubbing the Rock for more updates and analysis as we preview the Tigers’ matchup with the Tide.