Sep 6, 2025; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell during the second half against the East Texas A&M Lions at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images Melina Myers-Imagn Images

ESPN drops shocking FSU football ranking that makes no sense

Originally posted on Florida State Seminoles on SI
By Tommy Mire | Last updated Sep 8, 2025 4:30 PM ET

Week 2 of college football is behind us, and the No. 10 Florida State Seminoles sit at 2-0 (0-0) ACC after their 77-3 record-breaking win against East Texas A&M last weekend.

Head coach Mike Norvell and the Seminoles already have a top-10 win under their belts after upsetting No. 8 Alabama 31-17 the week prior and have moved up significantly in the AP rankings to the No. 10 spot after starting the season with little expectations for success from the national media.

What is ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI)?

ESPN recently released its FPI rankings, which measure a team’s strength relative to a team's offensive, defensive, and special teams value, based on expected points added (EPA), to generate game and season-level projections. FPI is a measure of team strength and a predictor of future performance, not just a ranking of past results.

From ESPN.com:

“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. Ratings and projections update daily.”

Where Does Florida State Rank?

Despite Florida State breaking school records in yards per play (10.27), yards per pass (18.4), and touchdowns of at least 35 yards (7) last week, the Seminoles surprisingly sit at the No. 26 spot according to ESPN.

NEW: Updated ESPN FPI after week 2 of the College Football seasonhttps://t.co/dCnwYXQ9KA pic.twitter.com/H1aK2SFGXp
— On3 (@On3sports) September 7, 2025

Both 1-1 Alabama and 1-1 Florida are ahead of the 'Noles despite both teams having a tougher strength of schedule. Florida just suffered an 18-16 loss to USF at home and faces road matchups against No. 3 LSU, No. 5 Miami, and No. 16 Texas A&M, while hosting No. 7 Texas, No. 6 Georgia, No. 15 Tennessee, and No. 10 Florida State.

Meanwhile, Alabama faces Georgia, Tennessee, and No. 11 South Carolina as they look to rebuild after a 9-4 season and a rocky start to 2025.

Florida State now turns its attention to Kent State after its first bye week, with conference play opening against Virginia the following weekend, with growing national scrutiny. Despite a perfect start, record-breaking numbers, and a top-10 ranking, ESPN’s FPI suggests the Seminoles still have plenty to prove.

With an unforgiving ACC schedule looming, Norvell’s squad will get ample opportunities to silence doubters and cement itself as a legitimate College Football Playoff contender.