When the newest ESPN FPI was released, few Alabama football fans gave it much notice. Is that because the ESPN FPI is flawed? Of course, it is, just as all predictive ratings are, especially months before an actual game is played.
Fortunately for Alabama football fans, owing to our championship birthright, preseason ratings matter little. That is even more true in the Saban years when every season ends with a trip to the College Football Playoff. It is not that regular seasons are beneath us, it is rather we (almost) always expect to win every regular season game.