Who is the most underrated team in ESPN’s preseason Football Power Index (FPI)?

Heather Dinich, ESPN’s lead College Football Playoff insider, weighed in on that question recently.

Dinich pointed to Clemson – which sits just outside the top 10 of ESPN’s FPI entering the 2025 campaign.

“The Clemson Tigers, to me, should be a top-five team, and ESPN’s FPI has them at No. 11,” Dinich said. “I don’t know how they’re outside the top 10.”

Added Dinich: “For me, the preseason rankings should be based on what you know you have coming back – not what you think you might have through the transfer portal or a hyped-up quarterback who’s never started a game before. And Clemson has Cade Klubnik back at quarterback.”

Dinich noted that ESPN NFL Draft analyst Jordan Reid, in his first 2026 NFL mock draft, projected Klubnik to be taken by the Cleveland Browns with the No. 1 overall pick.

“Klubnik has got a lot of talented wide receivers to throw to,” Dinich said. “Clemson has one of the best defensive lines in the country. These Tigers should be a top-10 team, without a doubt, this preseason.”

Texas is No. 1 in ESPN’s preseason FPI, followed by Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State and Penn State in the top five.

Oregon, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Miami and Tennessee round out the top 10.

Behind Clemson at No. 11, its season-opening opponent, LSU, is No. 12.

South Carolina checked in at No. 15, while SMU (No. 20) is the only ACC team besides Clemson and Miami ranked in the top 25.

Clemson’s projected overall win-loss record, according to ESPN’s FPI, is 9.7-2.9. ESPN’s FPI gives the Tigers a 34.0 percent chance to win the ACC, a 47.3 percent chance to make the College Football Playoff, a 6.8 percent chance to make the CFP National Championship game and a 2.8 percent chance to win the national title.