Buckeyes in top five of preseason ESPN FPI Top 25 rankings
COLUMBUS — After winning the national championship by way of a four-game run through the College Football Playoff last season, Ohio State is expected to be one of the best teams in the country again this fall.
Sure, the Buckeyes lost 14 NFL Draft picks and three other undrafted free agents to the next level, but they return two of the best players in the sport and other elite playmakers who will be stepping into bigger roles this year.
And ESPN’s first edition of the 2025 FPI reflects the idea that Ohio State will compete for the national title again this season. The Buckeyes check in at No. 4 for those FPI ratings, which came out this week. ESPN gives Ohio State a 70.6-percent chance to make the College Football Playoff and an 11.6-percent chance to win the national championship.
Ohio State has an expected win total of 10.4 wins, according to ESPN FPI. The Buckeyes are the top team in the Big Ten to start the season, per the PFI.
Other teams in the top 25 from the Big Ten are Penn State (5), Oregon (6), Michigan (17), USC (19) and Nebraska (25).
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Of course, the SEC dominates the preseason Top 25 like it does every year because of the recruiting rankings that are built into the ratings.
According to ESPN, “the FPI is a predictive rating system that estimates each FBS team’s strength (in points per game relative to the national average) on offense, defense and special teams, making adjustments for starters lost, recruiting talent and other personnel changes. Those numbers are then plugged into the schedule, and everything is simulated 20,000 times to track each team’s odds of winning its conference, making the playoff and advancing through to the national title.”
ESPN FPI Top 25 for 2025
1. Texas
2. Georgia
3. Alabama
4. Ohio State
5. Penn State
6. Oregon
7. Notre Dame
8. Texas A&M
9. Miami
10. Tennessee
11. Clemson
12. LSU
13. Ole Miss
14. Auburn
15. South Carolina
16. Oklahoma
17. Michigan
18. Florida
19. USC
20. SMU
21. Kansas State
22. Arkansas
23. Missouri
24. Arizona State
25. Nebraska