Where ESPN Has Texas in its Week 5 Football Power Index

 Texas picked apart the Sam Houston State Bearkats on Saturday night, winning 55-0 in the Longhorns’ best performance of the season so far. But that wasn’t good enough for the AP voters, as they dropped Texas two spots to No. 10.

Last week, after a 27-10 win over UTEP, ESPN analytics ranked Texas No. 6 in its Football Power Index (FPI). This week, in contrast to the drop suffered in the AP Poll, the Longhorns have received a one-spot bump up to No. 5 in ESPN’s FPI.

With Texas yet to face No. 5 Georgia, No. 7 Oklahoma, No. 9 Texas A&M, and No. 18 Vanderbilt, the Longhorns’ chance to win out has gone up by 1.2% from the week prior, meaning ESPN now gives Texas a 3.4% chance to win its remaining games.

The Longhorns’ chance to win six games only went up ever so slightly, rising from 98.4% to 99.2%. Their chance to win the SEC, however, has gone up by a fair amount. ESPN’s analytics now give Texas a 16.4% chance to win the conference, about a 4% rise.

Texas now has almost a 50% chance to make the playoffs, currently just under by 0.6%. Its chance to make the national championship has gone up as well, now sitting comfortably at 11.8%, with a 6.1% chance to win it.

If the Longhorns can win their next game against the Florida Gators on Oct. 4, then they will likely continue to see their odds to win out improve. However, that’s not what they should be focusing on.

These rankings and numbers are just analytical predictions based on statistics. Only the team can determine how successful it will be as it approaches conference play in just a couple of weeks.

Here are the top 10 in ESPN’s FPI:

1. Oregon
2. Ohio State
3. Alabama
4. Georgia
5. Texas
6. Indiana
7. Ole Miss
8. USC
9. Tennessee
10. Penn State

For comparison, here are the top 10 in the AP Poll:

1. Ohio State
2. Miami (Fla.)
3. Penn State
4. LSU
5. Georgia
6. Oregon
7. Oklahoma
8. Florida State
9. Texas A&M
10. Texas