How South Carolina, Clemson compare in ESPN’s latest FPI rankings
ESPN’s latest Football Power Index (FPI) rankings are out, and both South Carolina and Clemson are inside the Top 25.
For the unaware, ESPN defines FPI as 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.”
South Carolina’s FPI of 15.2 ranked No. 11 in the country, while Clemson’s FPI of 13.7 ranks No. 16.
Here’s a breakdown of some of the key numbers and how the two rivals compare:
Gamecocks leading in title chances
Texas has the highest odds to make the national championship game (38.5%) and to actually win it (25%), but ESPN gave South Carolina the advantage in the Palmetto State.
Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks have a 5.3% chance to make the national championship, per ESPN’s FPI. That may not seem too high, but it’s good for No. 10 in the country.
Comparatively, Clemson has a 3.5% chance to make the national title game. The Tigers have the 15th-best shot to do so but have the best chances of any ACC team.
The ESPN metric also gave South Carolina the edge over Clemson for chances to win the national championship this year.
The Gamecocks have a 2.1% chance to win the title this season, per ESPN. That number puts South Carolina tied for No. 9 in the country in the rating with Ole Miss and Texas A&M.
Dabo Swinney and the Tigers’ chances to win the national championship are at 1.3%, per ESPN. Clemson is ranked No. 15 alongside Miami in the rating.
These national championship winning odds from ESPN stray from what Vegas projects. Both MGM and ESPNBet have Clemson at +900 odds to win the College Football Playoff, while those respective sportsbooks have the odds of South Carolina winning at +4000 and +7500.
Clemson edges South Carolina in other categories
Clemson leads South Carolina marginally, and in one case significantly, in every other category in ESPN’s FPI.
The biggest discrepancy comes in the chance to win their respective conferences.
Clemson has a 31.8% chance to win the ACC, while South Carolina has just a 3.6% chance to win the SEC, per ESPN’s FPI.
The Tigers have the best odds to win the ACC, while the Gamecocks have the seventh-best odds to win the SEC.
Clemson’s projected record is also slightly better than South Carolina’s. Clemson is projected to go 9-3 (rounded from 9.2-3.3) while South Carolina is projected to go 8-4 (rounded from 7.9-4.2). Clemson’s chances of going undefeated are 1.2%, compared with South Carolina at 0.2%.
The Tigers have a 98.9% chance of winning six games and making a bowl game. The Gamecocks have a 94.1% chance.
While South Carolina has a better chance of winning the College Football Playoff, Clemson has a slightly better shot of making it there in the first place. The Tigers have a 38.2% chance of making the CFP, compared with the Gamecocks’ 36.3% odds.
This story was originally published August 18, 2025 at 12:36 PM.
