There's huge gap between Clemson and NC State ESPN's FPI rankings

It's time to get excited about football as the Tigers are fresh off of a bye week, ready to take on NC State this Saturday. ESPN's Football Power Index shows a huge difference between the two teams, with Clemson ranked No. 16 and NC State ranked No. 76, giving the Tigers an 84.4 percent chance at victory.

While that may look like great news, the FPI is a little unreliable at this point in the season. Tennessee dominated the Wolfpack two weeks ago, 51-10, skewing the numbers a little and dragging NC State down the rankings. The Vols have one of the best offenses in the nation, falling behind only fellow SEC team Ole Miss in total yards and tied for first with the Rebels in total touchdowns.

NC State is a better team than what the ESPN FPI shows, and on the other hand, Clemson's ranking might be a little inflated. The Tigers' pounding of Appalachian State was therapeutic after losing to Georgia in the fashion they did. However, with numbers-based power rankings like ESPN's FPI, big-time performances against weaker opponents will boost the ranking to the point of misleading fans.

The loss to Tennessee destroyed NC State's offensive and defensive efficiency rating, putting them at 120th on offense and 86th on defense. Clemson is superior to them in every category, except special teams, where the Tigers are ranked 130th out of 134 FBS teams. That's largely due to Clemson's victory over the Mountaineers.

While Clemson is still the better team and should win easily, don't expect the Wolfpack to come into Death Valley and lay down. They're looking to start conference play with a bang, hopefully leading to the ACC championship game. Right now, Clemson is in the way of that.