Week 1 of the 2026 college football regular season is nearly in the books.
The first full Saturday of the 2026 college football regular season took place this weekend. It wasn’t a crazy one, though there were several notable results. Powerhouse contenders like Texas, Ohio State and LSU looked good in their season debuts. Meanwhile, Oregon struggled, barely escaping their rivalry game with Boise State with a win. Later in the night, Michigan topped Western Michigan in historic – and controversial – fashion.
ESPN’s computer model, the Football Power Index, has released its new Top 25 rankings on Sunday morning. The FPI’s Top 25 has updated as we head into Week 2.
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ESPN’s new Top 25
- Texas
- Ohio State
- Notre Dame
- Miami
- Georgia
- Indiana
- LSU
- Oregon
- Alabama
- Texas A&M
- Oklahoma
- Texas Tech
- USC
- Penn State
- Ole Miss
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Tennessee
- BYU
- Michigan
- Pittsburgh
- Nebraska
- Utah
- SMU
- Virginia
How does the FPI work?
The Football Power Index is a projection-based model, using thousands of simulations daily to update rankings and projections.
“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 FPI states.
The new Coaches’ Poll and AP Poll, meanwhile, will be out on Tuesday morning.
