Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin (10) celebrates during the second half of the NCAA football game against the Texas Longhorns at Ohio Stadium on Aug. 30, 2025. Ohio State won 14-7. Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

ESPN Gives Ohio State Buckeyes Baffling FPI Score after Week 1 Win

Originally posted on Ohio State Buckeyes on SI
By Nathan Beighle | Last updated Sep 1, 2025 5:00 PM ET

The Ohio State Buckeyes took down the Texas Longhorns, who were the preseason No. 1 team in the country.

The Saturday battle wasn't the most entertaining as most of the game was running by both sides, but it did feature numerous key plays, one of which was an Ohio State defensive stop on the one-yard line to keep Texas off the board. The Buckeyes also had the best offensive play of the game with a 40-yard strike by Julian Sayin to Carnell Tate.

There were two other top-ten matchups to help commence Week 1 action. The No. 9 LSU Tigers beat the No. 4 Clemson Tigers. The No. 10 Miami Hurricanes beat the No. 6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish as well. However, neither of those teams topped Ohio State in the FPI ranking, yet the Buckeyes still sat third.

The Longhorns still topped the Football Power Index with the Georgia Bulldogs jumping to No. 2. The Ole Miss Rebels are No. 4, so there are three SEC teams in the top four.

ESPN’s FPI has been updated following Saturday of Week 1. No one can take this seriously ever again pic.twitter.com/IVzsX7meNk
— The Buckeye Nut (@TheBuckeyeNut) August 31, 2025

The FPI is a statistical figure that the World Wide Leader in Sports puts out. Here is how they figure the scoring out.

"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. FPI data from seasons prior to 2019 may not be complete,"the site notes.

The Buckeyes don't need to have a good FPI score, but it is insulting that they don't top the power index after taking down the team that many pegged as the best in the country. Nonetheless, they did prove that they have the best defense in the country, and that they have a rising star at quarterback.

While getting Jeremiah Smith involved should be a priority, the future is bright in Columbus.

This article first appeared on Ohio State Buckeyes on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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