ESPN shakes up FPI Top 25 rankings after wild Week 1 Sunday of college football

ESPN shook up their FPI Top 25 rankings after a wild Week 1 Sunday of college football. With the results, there was some movement once again!

Saturday’s games were bonkers as we saw upsets all over the place, at least based on the preseason rankings. With that, the FPI ratings were noteworthy.

So, let’s dive into the latest FPI following Sunday’s action, which included some more AP Poll upsets. We begin at the top.

1. Texas

Texas remained in the top spot of ESPN’s FPI despite the 14-7 loss to Ohio State. Arch Manning and the offense struggled to get going until the second half adjustments.

But even then, they couldn’t support a stout defensive performance on the road. Perhaps Texas will see the Buckeyes again in the College Football Playoff?

2. Georgia

Dec 31, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart gestures against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the third quarter of the 2022 Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. — © Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Bulldogs dominated Marshall 45-7 to open up the season, staying in the No. 2 spot of the FPI. If anything, this game got QB Gunner Stockton in a bit of a groove.

Stockton went 14-of-24 passing for 190 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 73 yards and two touchdowns. We’ll see how that translates moving forward.

3. Ohio State

ESPN’s FPI metrics moved the Buckeyes up one spot following the win over No. 1 Texas, per Sunday’s rankings. Dominant defense was the story and Julian Sayin quietly had a solid day.

The new QB didn’t light the world on fire, but he ultimately didn’t have to. Texas has dudes all over the field, but Ohio State made less mistakes en route to a massive opening day win.

4. Ole Miss

Ole Miss didn’t play a world beater in the first game of the year. But, the Rebels rolled to a 63-7 win over Georgia State and got to the top four after the weekend.

Austin Simmons did a lot for the Rebels, going 20-of-31 for 341 yards, three touchdowns, but threw two interceptions. Kewan Lacy had himself a day on the ground with 108 yards and three scores.

5. Penn State

Penn State HC James Franklin — (Pickel | BWI)

Penn State romped Nevada 46-11 at home to open the 2025 season. With that, the Nittany Lions remained in the top five of the FPI ratings from ESPN.

Drew Allar was awesome, going 22-of-26 for 217 yards and a touchdown. Zane Durant grabbed a pick on defense too, so an all around productive day at the office!

The biggest jump into the top 10 came from USC and Lincoln Riley’s squad is borderline top five in the FPI! This is partly due to the Trojans scoring 73 points against Missouri State. They didn’t shift after Sunday’s results.

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Jayden Maiava looked good in his season debut, going 15-of-18 for 295 yards and two touchdowns, while running for another. With Georgia Southern on tap next, perhaps USC can keep it rolling early on.

7. Oregon

The Ducks stayed put in the FPI this week following their season opener. Oregon dominated Montana State 59-13 en route to a nice win in front of the home crowd.

Dante Moore had a great debut, going 18-of-23 passing for 213 yards and three touchdowns. Next up is Oklahoma State coming to town on September 6th.

8. Tennessee (+1)

Josh Heupel, Tennessee – © Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Vols moved up after Sunday’s games, rising one spot in ESPN’s FPI. Tennessee dominated the Orange 45-26 and made a statement on opening weekend.

New QB Joey Aguilar was 16-of-28 passing for 247 yards and three touchdowns. Star Thomas added 92 yards on the ground while DeSean Bishop and Peyton Lewis each had a score on the ground.

9. Notre Dame (-1)

Notre Dame fell to Miami in South Florida 27-24 in a hard fought game in the rain. A late field goal was the difference and the Irish dropped a spot in the FPI ratings.

Jeremiyah Love was limited to 10 carries for 33 yards, a massive blow to the offense. CJ Carr went 19-of-30 passing for 221 yards, two touchdowns, one interception and a rushing touchdown.

10. South Carolina (+1)

LaNorris Sellers was the most exciting part of the Gamecocks’ win over Virginia Tech. Especially early! Shane Beamer’s crew moved up one spot in the FPI after winning 24-11.

Sellers was 12-of-19 for 209 yards, one touchdown and ran for 25 yards and another bulldozing touchdown. The defense forced VT QB Kyron Drones into two interceptions.