With conference media days popping up, media members of each respective league will attempt to prognosticate and predict where each team will finish in the standings while other polls will rank the teams on a number of different criteria before the start of the year.One of the most infamous and controversial "polls" is ESPN's Football Power Index — FPI for short — and the latest edition of it was just unleashed on an unsuspecting and incensed public.IS ANOTHER TEAM READY TO TAKE OVER THE TOP OF THE BIG TEN FROM INDIANA AND OHIO STATE?These 25 teams and their placement in the FPI has caused more consternation on social media than anything outside of maybe politics, as many angry fans from all over have directed their ire towards the power index, but they're missing a key point in their anger.The Football Power Index is exactly what the name suggests: a power index for football teams.It's not a predicted finish for the top 25 at the end of the season, which is exactly what I see people bring up.IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR A BIG 12 WINNER NOT NAMED TEXAS TECH OR BYU, CONSIDER THE HOUSTON COUGARSOhio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day leads his team onto the field during the NCAA football game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Monday, Nov.25, 2024.
(Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)"Texas was number one in last year's preseason FPI, and they didn't even make the Playoff."Correct, but just because they were number one in the preseason FPI doesn't mean they were supposed to finish number one in the final AP Poll.The FPI rates teams based on a number of factors and simulations from a model to predict which teams would be favored on a neutral site.JAMES MADISON COACH BILLY NAPIER FINALLY REVEALS WHAT WENT WRONG AT FLORIDA IN RECENT INTERVIEWTo borrow a phrase from Josh Pate, "It's a rating, not a ranking."Let's go back to Texas.They were number one in last season's preseason FPI based on the talent they had on their...