ESPN shakes up FPI Top 25 rankings after wild Week 9 of college football

ESPN shook up its latest FPI Top 25 rankings following a wild Week 9 of college football featuring upsets, domination and down to the wire games. Naturally, there will be much debate about the list.

FPI doesn’t use votes, just data, metrics and future projections. We have an interesting look at some of the best teams in college football.

So, let’s dive into the latest FPI rankings from ESPN. We’ll start at the top with some shakeups in the top 10!

1. Ohio State

Ohio State had the week off but it did not affect their standing in the FPI rankings this weekend. The Buckeyes are still the top team in the country in this metric.

Moving forward, all eyes will be on the Buckeyes as they take on Penn State and Michigan over the course of the final five games. Undefeated until the Big Ten championship?

2. Indiana (+2)

Indiana put the hammer down on UCLA over the weekend. The Hoosiers moved up two spots in the FPI after Saturday as they cruised to a 35-3 halftime lead.

There’s an argument for the top spot, but Indiana will have to settle for second behind Ohio State, for now. Curt Cignetti and crew also have Penn State on the docket, not a top Penn State team, but perhaps a desperate one in a couple of weeks.

3. Oregon (-1)

With Indiana’s win, and the Ducks’ lack of a blowout, Oregon dropped one spot in the FPI. They edged Wisconsin 21-7 after a scoreless first quarter.

Dante Moore exited the game in the second half, but his bloody nose and damage he took from a hit seemed to be much ado about nothing. Dan Lanning and crew won ugly, but they won.

4. Alabama (-1)

Alabama had a battle on its hands in a 29-22 win over South Carolina. The Crimson Tide actually trailed 15-14 going into the fourth quarter.

But a late rally gave Alabama their seventh straight win on the season. Indiana’s movement caused them to move down one spot in the FPI though.

5. Notre Dame

Notre Dame went into the bye week on a five-game winning streak. With that, they did not shift in the FPI this week.

But Marcus Freeman and crew will be in action against Boston College on the road and then will host an intriguing and potentially undefeated Navy squad. The College Football Playoff is firmly in their sights even with five games left.,

6. Georgia

Georgia also had a bye week after beating Ole Miss last week. They are 6-1 this season and will take on rival Florida next weekend.

The Bulldogs did not shift in the FPI rankings after Week 9 but the SEC is so loaded, the rest of the schedule looks wild for Kirby Smart and crew. Could they be standing after the chaos is over?

7. Texas

Texas won a dramatic game against Mississippi State in overtime, winning 45-38. They were down 31-14 going into the fourth quarter until Arch Manning led the charge back.

Matthew Caldwell threw the game-winning touchdown in overtime after Manning was evaluated for a concussion, but still, Texas won a tight road contest. The Longhorns are 6-2 and firmly in the top 10 of the FPI.

8. Texas A&M (+2)

Texas A&M went into Death Valley and dominated LSU in all facets. In the 49-25 win over the Tigers, A&M only allowed seven points in the second half.

Mike Elko and crew are now 8-0 on the season, atop the SEC and they moved up two spots in the FPI. They get a much needed bye week before taking on Missouri on the road.

9. USC (-1)

USC is 5-2 on the season and dropped one spot in the FPI during a bye week. They’ll be back in action with all Big Ten games in their final five contests.

The Trojans can certainly soar high up the Big Ten and maybe a week off did them some good. We’ll see how Lincoln Riley and crew respond in Lincoln next weekend.

10. Miami (-1)

How do you bounce back from an upset loss? A blowout win over Stanford of course! The Hurricanes won 42-7 but still dropped one spot in the FPI.

Mario Cristobal and crew are back in action at SMU next weekend as they still control their destiny for the ACC. Although Georgia Tech is still undefeated.

ESPN updates FPI Top 25 rankings after Week 9

11. Utah (+4)
12. Ole Miss (-1)
13. Tennessee
14. Texas Tech (-2)
15. Michigan (+1)
16. BYU (+3)
17. Vanderbilt (+1)
18. Oklahoma (-4)
19. Missouri (-2)
20. Iowa (+4)
21. Penn State
22. LSU (-2)
23. Washington (-1)
24. Auburn (-1)
25. Georgia Tech (+1)