Yellow Jacked Up
Fansided

Georgia Tech Football: ESPN FPI projects Jackets to go 4-8

By Dylan Callaghan-Croley

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - NOVEMBER 10: A general view of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets' football game against the Miami Hurricanes during the second quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium on November 10, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - NOVEMBER 10: A general view of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets' football game against the Miami Hurricanes during the second quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium on November 10, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

In preparation for the 2019 college football season, ESPN updated their Future Power Index (FPI) on Monday and have set win-loss totals for each FBS program including the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

Georgia Tech across the board is expected to have a tough season in 2019 with first year head coach Geoff Collins. The Jackets are in the midst of a change of identity and in reality program brand with the transition from Paul Johnson and his triple-option offense to Geoff Collins and his pro-style, pass-heavy system.

In ESPN’s newly updated FPI that was released on Monday, the Jackets are 82nd in the country in FPI with an FPI of -4.6. The index projects the Jackets to go 3.7-8.3 this season which is about on par for what magazines and experts are projecting for the Jackets in 2019.

However, when it comes to their chances of winning percentage, the Jackets are actually the favorites in just two games this season. Those games are against USF (52.7%) and The Citadel (92.4%). Other than those two games, the Jackets are significant underdogs in most games across the board, their next highest chance of winning is against Temple with a 40.0% chance to take down Geoff Collins’ former program. The Jackets are significant underdogs a few times this year with games against Clemson (1.2%), Miami (11%), Virginia (16.6%) and Georgia (5.1%) standing out.

The Jackets from the end of last season have seen a significant drop in FPI. When last season ended, the Jackets were 39th in FPI with an index rating of 6.9. The significant drop in FPI can only be explained by the coaching transition and drastic changes that have come with it.

Obviously, these projections in the grand scheme of things mean nothing and everything can change within the FPI on a week-to-week basis. The Jackets certainly have an up hill climb in 2019 and even if they struggle it will be important for Tech fan to remember the adage that “Rome wasn’t built in a day”. Because while Geoff Collins is certainly building something special, it will take time for the Yellow Jackets to reach the heights that Collins and fans believe that the program could achieve in the future.