For the first time in years, the Southeastern Conference isn't leading college football's offseason conversation with regards to two national title contenders many expect to meet again in the Playoff this fall. Oddsmakers have pinned Clemson and Ohio State as the early favorites, not defending national champion LSU or co-SEC heavyweights Alabama and Georgia as preseason Top 5 teams.

With top quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields leading the Tigers and Buckeyes, respectively, most are pointing to Clemson and Ohio State as locks in getting back to the final four with the other two spots up for grabs among a handful of elite-level hopefuls.

According to ESPN's latest Football Power Index preseason power rankings update, the SEC could be behind the Big Ten for top billing during the 2020 season. In fact, every Power 5 conference has at least three squads ranked inside the way-too-early projections including a nation-leading seven from the Big Ten, one more than the SEC.

ESPN defines its FPI as a "measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team's performance going forward for the rest of the season. FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 10,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule. Ratings and projections update daily."

ESPN revealed its updated FPI Top 25 for 2020 over the weekend with widespread changes: