ESPN Releases Updated FPI Rankings Before College Football Season

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Cami Griffin | Last updated Aug 16, 2025 5:36 PM ET

We're only one week away from the start of the 2025 college football season.

The preseason Coaches Poll and preseason AP Poll were revealed recently and the Texas Longhorns hold the No. 1 spot in each ranking. On Saturday, ESPN updated its FPI rankings ahead of the 2025 season.

ESPN's FPI rankings differ a bit from other polls. It takes into account team strength and predicts future performance based on a variety of metrics. Texas sits atop the updated rankings, while the Ohio State Buckeyes slide down to No. 4. For comparison, the Buckeyes are ranked No. 2 in both the AP Poll and Coaches Poll.

Georgia and Alabama are ranked ahead of Ohio State in ESPN's updated FPI. Penn State lands in the top five and six SEC teams are in the top 10.

NEW: Updated ESPN FPI ahead of the 2025 College Football Seasonhttps://t.co/NBgsrOqFbp pic.twitter.com/OkmLVu8yZQ
— On3 (@On3sports) August 16, 2025

The Longhorns have the highest chance of making the College Football Playoff at 86.7%, the highest odds of reaching the national championship game (38.5%), and the best chance to take home the national title this season at 25%.

It's clear Texas is the consensus top team in the country ahead of the season, but they'll have a massive first test against Ohio State on Aug. 30 in Columbus. Should the Longhorns defeat the Buckeyes, the national title expectations in Austin will be higher than ever.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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