Louisville football ranked 35th nationally in FPI

Cardinals play four teams ranked in the top-25 of preseason FPI ratings

ESPN released its 2020 preseason college football FPI breakdown Feb. 17. Louisville ranks 35th nationally and faces a schedule that includes four teams rated in the top-25.

Date	Opponent	FPI National Ranking
Sept. 3	NC State	59
Sept. 12	@ Clemson	1
Sept. 19	Murray State	N/A
Sept. 26	Western Kentucky	73
Oct. 3	@ Syracuse	72
Oct. 10	@ Boston College	78
Oct. 24	Florida State	23
Oct. 31	Virginia Tech	25
Nov. 7	@ Virginia	47
Nov. 14	Wake Forest	69
Nov. 21	@ Notre Dame	9
Nov. 28	Kentucky	33

In Scott Satterfield's second season as the team's head coach, Louisville plays plenty of highly rated opponents. 

Clemson, Louisville’s opponent Sept. 12 in Death Valley, is ranked first nationally. After losing to Notre Dame 35-17 in the season opener in 2019, the Cardinals travel to South Bend Nov. 21 to play a team ranked ninth in the preseason FPI ratings.

Florida State (23rd) and Virginia Tech (25th) are a pair of conference opponents ranked in the top-25. 

Louisville ends the season against in-state rival Kentucky, a team ranked 33rd. The Cardinals lost in Lexington to Kentucky for the second straight year in 2019. 

ESPN’s Football Power Index was developed in 2013 to measure team’s strength and projected performance as a predictive rating system. Each team’s FPI rating is composed of a predicted offensive, defensive and special teams component. The ratings can change on a daily basis, so the preseason FPI can potentially look different in August before the season starts.