Preseason college football ratings historically have been flawed. Team reputations are generally overvalued, and the top historical programs often end up on top. ESPN Stats & Information has again created an automated set of preseason ratings for all FBS teams heading into the 2015 season, designed to predict how strong each team will be this coming season. (More detail on how Preseason FPI is determined is available in this post.)

FPI is an estimate of team strength – not a ranking of who will have the highest win total (which is dependent on schedule) and not who is most likely to make the College Football Playoff. Preseason FPI is calculated using three major components for each FBS team: prior years’ offense, defense and special teams efficiencies; returning starters and head coach information; and recruiting rankings.

Last season, the top three teams in Preseason FPI (Florida State, Oregon and Alabama) made the inaugural College Football Playoff.