Clemson No. 1 in ESPN's FPI preseason rankings

It's getting a little harder for Clemson to play the "disrespect" card.

After being ranked No. 1 in another Way-Too-Early top 25 poll, the Tigers have found themselves atop another list of teams.

Clemson, not Alabama, is ranked No. 1 in ESPN's preseason Football Power Index.

"Scoot over, Alabama," writes Seth Walder of ESPN analytics. "The team to beat in 2018 is Clemson, not the defending national champion, according to the Football Power Index's (FPI) initial preseason rankings release."

FPI is ESPN's predictive system that helps them project what will happen before and during the season. The factors that go into the preseason FPI ranking improve: team performance over the last four seasons (most emphasis on last season), Returning starters at quarterback, on offense overall and on defense, Whether a team has a returning head coach, and Recruiting rankings over the past four seasons.

In those aspects, Clemson checks all the boxes.

ESPN ranks Clemson No. 1 because of the talent it returns on both sides of the ball. Alabama returns ten starters while Clemson returns 15, eight on the defensive side.

The FPI projects Clemson to have the No. 1 defense in the country next season, which would be the difference between Alabama and Clemson in this particular ranking.

This is the first time the FPI has Clemson No. 1 at any point dating back to 2005.

Last season, two of the top four teams in the College Football Playoff appeared in the top four of ESPN's preseason FPI rankings (Alabama and Oklahoma). 

FPI's Preseason Top 10:

1. Clemson

2. Alabama 

3. Georgia

4. Ohio State

5. Notre Dame

6. Washington

7. Auburn 

8. Penn State

9. Oklahoma

10. Michigan State