Contrary to some FCS public opinion, the Gridiron Power Index poll is not a primary factor.
“We use it in a very limited fashion,” said Damani Leech, director of championships and alliances for the NCAA.
Specifically, the only time the GPI is used is if a team from the non-scholarship Pioneer League is on the cusp of making the field. For a Pioneer team to make it, a team must have eight Division I wins, with two coming against a team from a league that has an automatic qualifier, and it finishes the season ranked 20th or higher in an average of three top 25 polls: the coaches’, Sports Network media and the GPI.
“So (the GPI) is used to evaluate one team, and it’s one of the components of it,” Leech said.
A Pioneer team has never made the playoffs. It’s doubtful a team has even been close.
This is not meant to demean the GPI. It’s a rather accurate rating and considering a main FCS selection factor is strength of schedule, it’s a pretty good predictor on who will get in. The litmus test will be Indiana State, which if it beats Youngstown State on Saturday, will have seven D-I victories but a high GPI.
Leech said the FCS playoff committee does its own rankings via conference calls during the season, and when the group huddles this weekend in Indianapolis, they will have that chart in front of them. Wins versus Football Bowl Subdivision teams are very much a factor, he said.
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