We’re getting closer and closer to the 2026 college football season. On Thursday, ESPN revealed its updated FPI rankings.
Ohio State is the preseason No. 1 in the FPI rankings. ESPN defines the FPI as “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.” A team’s FPI number predicts a team’s expected point margin against an average opponent on a neutral field. OSU has FPI of 28.7, the highest number among the 138 FBS teams entering the 2026 season.
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The SEC is well-represented with 12 of the 16 conference teams in the top 25. Texas leads the way at No. 2, joined in the top 5 by defending conference champion Georgia. Alabama and LSU also make the top 10.
Here’s the full FPI preseason top 25:
- Ohio State
- Texas
- Notre Dame
- Oregon
- Georgia
- Indiana
- Miami
- Alabama
- LSU
- Texas Tech
- Texas A&M
- Oklahoma
- USC
- Ole Miss
- Michigan
- Tennessee
- Penn State
- Florida
- Clemson
- BYU
- Mizzou
- Auburn
- South Carolina
- SMU
- Iowa
How many of these teams will make the College Football Playoff? Predict this year’s CFP qualifiers today on Kalshi!
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
