Kentucky moves up in the ESPN FPI Rankings after 41-6 win over Ohio

Kentucky dominated Ohio in a 41-6 victory. The defense was lights out, and the offense put together explosive plays and scoring drives. It was a much-needed win and performance as the Wildcats moved into SEC play.

The results of that performance moved them up in the ESPN FPI, which stands for the Football Power Index. Which is an analytics tool that analyzes every team and gives them a score. Here is how ESPN describes it, "The Football Power Index (FPI) is 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. FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 20,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule."

If you look at the rankings, you will see that Kentucky is the 38th team listed. However, it's not the same as your typical rankings, as teams can have the same score in the FPI and are sorted accordingly. Their FPI score is now 6.7, up a spot from a week ago.

According to the FPI, that makes the Wildcats nearly seven points better than the "average team." The current teams closest to the average mark are the Syracuse Orange, at an FPI of 0.1, and the North Carolina Tar Heels, at -0.2. Yes, negative. They are a slightly below-average team, and that is down dramatically from last week when the Tar Heels were 11th place higher in the ranking.

Kentucky is an interesting spot as you look at those teams immediately above and behind them. They have the Florida Gators right behind them at a 5.6, the BYU Cougars in the same spot as them at 6.7, and the Nebraska Corn Huskers right above them at 6.8

Currently, the FPI has the Kentucky Wildcats as a 40% chance to win six games or better and a 0.2% chance to make the playoffs. It will be fun to see how the Wildcats do in this FPI as the season continues; if yesterday was the making of something special, Kentucky should have upset on their mind for this Saturday against Ole Miss.