Week 1 of the college football season is (almost) in the books. We still have a showdown between SMU and Florida State in the ACC to look forward to on Monday night, but that’s the final chapter in the saga that was the opening weekend of the 2026 season.
Some teams looked dominant (looking at you, Miami and LSU). Others looked very disappointing (Michigan, anyone?). And some held serve against vastly inferior opponents.
ESPN’s Football Power Index has a new No. 1 squad as of Monday morning, with the Texas Longhorns leapfrogging the Ohio State Buckeyes. Here’s a look at the full FPI top 25:
- Texas
- Ohio State
- Notre Dame
- Miami
- Georgia
- Indiana
- LSU
- Oregon
- Alabama
- Texas A&M
- Oklahoma
- Texas Tech
- USC
- Penn State
- South Carolina
- Ole Miss
- Florida
- Tennessee
- BYU
- Michigan
- Pitt
- Nebraska
- Utah
- SMU
- Virginia
That’s 10 SEC teams in the top 25, the most of any conference. Auburn (No. 27), Mizzou (No. 29), Mississippi State (No. 33), Vanderbilt (No. 36), Kentucky (No. 40) and Arkansas (No. 60) were the 6 teams outside of the top 25.
Week 2 features some more big-time matchups, including Texas hosting Ohio State. We’ll see how the FPI rankings change this time next week.
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Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
