ESPN's FPI Predicts Arizona State-UCLA Game
ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI) has been used for years to show a team's strength and weaknesses from an analytical perspective.
"The Football Power Index (FPI) is 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 20,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule," it says on ESPN's website.
In the preseason, AllSunDevils used the FPI to predict Arizona State's record for the 2021 season, going week-by-week to predict individual matchups.
Thus far, that FPI is 4-for-4 in predicting Sun Devils outcomes.
However, ESPN updates the FPI weekly after each team's performance. In the preseason, ESPN gave Arizona State a 54% chance to win over the UCLA Bruins.
Now, with the updated rankings, UCLA has a whopping 68% chance (in the humble computer's opinion) to win in the Rose Bowl.
The Bruins, per TeamRankings, are projected to win by a score of 28.9-26.
This, of course, would mean the three-point spread would result in a push and the over/under of 55.5 hits the under, although both wagers are extremely close to fall in any direction.
It's sure to be a tough out for whoever emerges victorious. However, ESPN's updated analytical driven analysis believes UCLA is far more likely to take full control of the Pac-12 South.