On Friday, ESPN updated its Football Power Index ratings ahead of the 2025 season.
It was a curious move. The Worldwide Leader first published its proprietary power model at the beginning of June and very little has changed across the sport in the handful of weeks since. ESPN’s other power model — SP+, built by Bill Connelly — also updated its outlook within the last week, but that model hadn’t received an update since the end of spring ball and only 1 team in the top 20 (Illinois) moved more than 2 spots either way.
FPI’s changes were much more significant, and more harsh toward the ACC.
Miami ranked ninth on June 3.
On Aug. 15, the Hurricanes dropped to 17.
Clemson ranked 11th in the initial FPI rankings and dropped to 16th on Friday. The model cut Clemson’s percentage chance to make the College Football Playoff from 47.3% to 38.2% and it slashed Miami’s percentage chance to make the CFP from 46.3% to 35.9%. Tennessee moved up 2 spots. Ole Miss moved up 3 spots. South Carolina moved up 4 spots. And Florida moved up 5 spots.
Nine of the top 15 teams in the June edition of FPI’s ratings were from the SEC.
After Friday’s update, 9 of the top 13 teams in FPI’s ratings are from the SEC.
The changes, though slight, will also impact FPI’s strength of schedule metric. The SEC has each of the 9 toughest schedules in 2025, as well as 13 of the 14 toughest. The ACC’s toughest schedule belongs to Syracuse, which ranks 15th. The Orange are the only ACC program with a top-25 SOS rating at the outset of the new season.
All but 1 SEC team (Mizzou, 27th) has an SOS rating that ranks in the top 25.
The preseason update, however innocuous, will only provide more fuel for those who think ESPN props up the SEC, its primary media partner.
SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee belongs to that group.
When one account on social media pointed out the FPI update and how it negatively impacted the ACC’s top contenders, Lashlee responded Saturday morning by saying “the whole thing is rigged.”
For what it’s worth, FPI moved SMU up from 20th to 19th in its ratings update. And it had no bearing on the Mustangs last season when they made the CFP field despite losing to Clemson in the ACC Championship Game.
But Lashlee has long been an outspoken proponent for the ACC.
Last November, he defended the league against what he felt was clear conference bias in the CFP rankings.
“When other leagues beat each other up internally, they’re considered a deep, solid league, but when we beat up internally, we’re considered a weak league,” Lashlee said before the second set of rankings were released.
In July, at ACC Media Days, Lashlee said the same SEC schools winning the league year after year is a sign the SEC is “top-heavy” and not full of depth.
“The same 6 schools from the SEC have done all the winning,” Lashlee said. “It’s hard to argue parity if only 6 teams are successful.”
The SEC isn’t alone in that regard, though. Clemson and Florida State have won all but 1 of the last 14 ACC championships.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
