Where Mississippi State Stands in the ESPN FPI Rankings

The 2022 college football season is quickly approaching and Mississippi State faces what is perhaps the toughest schedule of any team in the nation.

After finishing out 2021 with a 7-6 record and making a notable jump from their 2020 record of 3-7, the Bulldogs have landed in several spots across the preseason rankings of different outlets. In the ESPN Football Power Index (FPI) rankings, MSU comes in at No. 24, ahead of the Tennessee Volunteers and behind the Oregon Ducks.

According to ESPN, the 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. Ratings and projections update daily."

Here's a look at the complete Top 25 in the ESPN FPI rankings as they stand now:

1. Alabama Crimson Tide

2. Ohio State Buckeyes

3. Georgia Bulldogs

4. Clemson Tigers

5. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

6. Michigan Wolverines

7. Texas Longhorns

8. Oklahoma Sooners

9. Miami Hurricanes

10. LSU Tigers

11. Auburn Tigers

12. Texas A&M Aggies

13. Utah Utes

14. Oklahoma State Cowboys

15. Michigan State Spartans

16. Nittany Lions

17. Ole Miss Rebels

18. Kentucky Wildcats

19. North Carolina Tarheels

20. Pittsburgh Panthers

21. Wisconsin Badgers

22. Baylor Bears

23. Oregon Ducks

24. Mississippi State Bulldogs

25. Tennessee Volunteers

There's a lot to be optimistic about in Starkville as head coach Mike Leach's Air Raid offense takes off once again in Year 3 after a year in which things really seemed to start clicking for the team on that side of the ball. Junior quarterback Will Rogers is expected to be among the best signal-callers in the conference and possibly the nation after he completed 73.9% of his 683 passing attempts for 4,739 yards with 36 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

It will be interesting to see how things ultimately shake out as the Bulldogs prepare to open the season against the Memphis Tigers on Sept. 3 at 6:30 p.m. CT in Davis Wade Stadium.