Georgia is the new No. 1 overall team in ESPN’s SP+ ratings after Week 1.
The Bulldogs claimed the top spot in Bill Connelly’s model following a blowout win over Marshall. Georgia began the year at No. 3 in SP+ but jumped over both Ohio State and Alabama following Week 1 action.
Alabama’s fall is easily explainable. The Crimson Tide dropped 9 spots to No. 11 overall after losing to Florida State in stunning fashion over the weekend. Ohio State fell to No. 2, however, despite a win over Texas in Columbus on Saturday.
The reason for Ohio State’s slip in SP+ ratings is likely due to some of the underlying data from the game. According to Connelly’s postgame win expectancy formula, which gets factored into SP+, Ohio State had just an 18% chance to beat Texas on Saturday based on box score data. That’s why Ohio State doesn’t appear to be getting full credit for what was an impressive win over the Longhorns in Week 1.
The gap between Georgia and Ohio State is also extremely small — the Bulldogs have a rating of 25.5 while the Buckeyes are at 25.4. Oregon is next up at No. 3, but the Ducks are a full rating point behind Ohio State.
Elsewhere in the SEC, LSU moved up 5 spots to No. 5 overall after its big road win over Clemson. Tennessee, Oklahoma and Florida also claimed spots in the top 10 of SP+ after Week 1.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
