What Does ESPN's FPI Say About Georgia Tech's Matchup Against Temple?

ESPN has Georgia Tech as a heavy favorite at home against Temple

Sep 13, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King (10) hands the ball off to running back Jamal Haynes (1) against the Clemson Tigers in the second quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Georgia Tech has been at the center of national attention all week long since its upset preseason ACC favorite Clemson at home and received a national ranking from the AP Poll of No. 18. It is the first time Georgia Tech has been ranked since September of last year.

As ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit said earlier this week, Georgia Tech is a team that needs to be paid more attention to.

“Georgia Tech and Haynes King, there is some grit there. They really take after their head coach. He coaches with a chip on his shoulder (Brent Key), which I love. He’s at a place where he played. He understands they are viewed as nope, you aren’t quite cool enough to be invited to the party. He has guys who kind of show up in a bad mood. I love the guy,” said Herbstreit.

“I think Georgia Tech sitting there at 3-0 needs to be a team that all of us are paying attention to.”

Can Georgia Tech handle expectations?

Sep 13, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Brent Key celebrates after a victory over the Clemson Tigers at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

With more attention and praise also comes scrutiny. For Georgia Tech, they have been focusing on the little details and improving, not staying fixated on the Clemson win, but instead turning the page and locking in on their next opponent.

“You can't relax. You have to be just as prepared every single week.  There is no crescendo or top. Our goals when we started the season were not to win game three of the season. They weren't to win game four of the season. They weren't to win game eight or 12,” said Key. “Our goals are a lot bigger than that. Our expectations internally are a lot bigger than that.  As long as we keep our heads in the right place and stay focused, I think other things will take care of themselves.”

ESPN’s FPI has the Yellow Jackets as a heavy favorite and gives them a 92.1% of defeating Temple at home. The Owls are given just a 7.9% chance of winning on the road.

When you take a look at ESPN FPI as a whole and where they rank the Yellow Jackets, it is a bit perplexing. The analytics have dropped Georgia Tech to the No.33 team, its chances to win the conference remain around the same, and its chances to make the College Football Playoff only rose 0.5%. While Georgia Tech is getting the love nationally, the analytics see a different story. You would think they would get more respect after pulling off a big win and controlling a large percentage of the game against the Tigers. I guess the Yellow Jackets will have to be one that continues to prove their worth.

It may be a while or perhaps later in the season when ESPN FPI gives the Yellow Jackets their just due and ranks them as a top 15 team in the country.

"ESPN uses its FPI (Football Power Index) as an advanced analytical model to help look at matchups and predict outcomes. In ESPN's own words: "FPI is a predictive rating system designed to measure team strength and project performance going forward. The ultimate goal of FPI is not to rank teams 1 through 128; rather, it is to correctly predict games and season outcomes. If Vegas ever published the power rankings it uses to set its lines, they would likely look quite a lot like FPI."