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FSU Football: ESPN Power Index Shows Toughness of Schedule in 2017

By Jason Parker

Oct 29, 2016; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Nyquan Murray (80) runs the ball past Clemson Tigers linebacker Ben Boulware (10) during the game at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 29, 2016; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Nyquan Murray (80) runs the ball past Clemson Tigers linebacker Ben Boulware (10) during the game at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports /
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FSU football will again face one of the toughest schedules in the country this coming season – something amplified by ESPN’s first power index rankings.

In the 2016 football season, there is no doubt that FSU football played one of the toughest schedule not just in the Atlantic Coast Conference – but in the entire country. The Seminoles finished the year playing 10 teams who went to a bowl game of played in the FCS playoffs out of their 12 regular season opponents, something that is amazing when you look at the numbers.

On the surface, the 2017 schedule is slightly easier when you consider the ‘Noles are trading one bowl team in the non-conference slate (USF) for a team that went 4-8 last year (Louisiana-Monroe) as well as a playoff team in the FCS for a team that went winless (Charleston Southern for Delaware State).

Even with those facts, the stats show just how tough FSU football’s slate will be this year. ESPN released their first Football Power Index for the 2017 season this week. It’s another way for the Worldwide Leader to put their greedy paws on everything, so I’ll let them explain their formula:

"The model comprises four major components: the last four seasons of performance on offense, defense and special teams…information on offensive and defensive returning starters, with special consideration given to a team returning its starting quarterback…a four-year average recruiting ranking of four systems (ESPN, Scouts, Rivals and Phil Steele); and head coaching tenure."

Now that we got that out of the way, lets get down to the numbers. When you look at the top 16 teams in the initial rankings, FSU football fans will see several familiar names:

"No. 1 – Ohio StateNo. 2 – AlabamaNo. 3 – OklahomaNo. 4 – FLORIDA STATENo. 5 – AuburnNo. 6 – LSUNo. 7 – ClemsonNo. 8 – Penn StateNo. 9 – WashingtonNo. 10 – WisconsinNo. 11- StanfordNo. 12 – USCNo. 13 – GeorgiaNo. 14 – LouisvilleNo. 15 – FloridaNo. 16 – Miami"

That’s right…the Seminoles are facing FIVE TEAMS currently ranked in the top 16 in the entire country by ESPN. Only one other team on the list, the Auburn Tigers, plays three teams ranked in the top 16. Heck, several schools on the list (Miami, USC, and Washington) play just one team while Wisconsin doesn’t play a single one.

Yes, FSU football will only be playing eight teams who went to the postseason last year and might not have a TOTAL schedule that is as difficult as last year – but a look at the numbers above shows just how top heavy their schedule will be and how this might even be a tougher road if the Seminoles want to make the College Football Playoff than what they saw in 2016.

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