College football rankings: ESPN updates top 25 poll as Bowl Season begins
College football rankings: ESPN updates top 25 poll as Bowl Season begins
ESPN Football Power Index (FPI) college football rankings and computer prediction model are a measure of team strength that predicts a team’s future performance.
Rankings and scores predictions are based on 20,000 simulations of a team’s season, using a combination of analytics, including scores to date, quality of opponents, and a team’s schedule.
Note: This isn't a conventional "power ranking" of the best teams, but a projection of how every team would finish against an average opponent on a neutral field, ranked by expected point margin per game.
College football rankings for Bowl Season
25. Oklahoma. ESPN kept the Sooners in the rankings despite a 6-6 finish owing to a projected 10.1 point per game margin on a neutral field. OU will test that estimate in the Cheez-It Bowl against Florida State.
24. Washington. A strong finish for the Huskies under first-year coach Kalen DeBoer, who will have a chance to show off that offense against Texas in the Alamo Bowl.
23. Baylor. The defending Big 12 champs couldn't repeat this season, finishing just at 6-6 overall, but have a chance to finish above .500 in the Armed Forces Bowl against the Air Force Academy.
22. Louisville. The Cardinals lost coach Scott Satterfield, but started things off without him well enough, dominating former rival Cincinnati 24-7 in the Fenway Bowl moving into the Jeff Brohm, post-Malik Cunningham era.
21. Illinois. A strong defense and run game had the Illini in the Big Ten West race most of the season before a late-season decline and some costly losses. Now they'll play SEC challenger Mississippi State in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
20. Minnesota. A nasty three-game losing streak midseason threw the Gophers off course, but they won four of the last five, including over rival Wisconsin before getting a shot at Syracuse in the Pinstripe Bowl.
19. Oregon State. The Beavers overpowered Florida in the Las Vegas Bowl to finish the season with 10 wins for the third time ever and the first time since 2000.
18. Mississippi State. Zach Arnett steps in as coach after the shocking death of Mike Leach, setting the program on sure defensive footing, and he'll get a first chance to make an impression against Illinois in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
17. Notre Dame. Marcus Freeman's team recovered strongly after a bad start to the year, winning five straight, before a loss at USC in the finale. Now the Irish get South Carolina in the Gator Bowl, without star tight end Michael Mayer.
16. Ole Miss. After much speculation, the Rebels will keep head coach Lane Kiffin, but he'll have to put the team on stronger footing after losing four of the last five. It starts against Texas Tech in the Texas Bowl.
15. USC. An injury to Caleb Williams and some just plain bad defense doomed the Trojans in the Pac-12 title game when they had a shot at the College Football Playoff, but the Men of Troy get a shot at AAC champ Tulane in the Cotton Bowl, likely with Williams back and healthy, and as the Heisman Trophy winner.
14. Oregon. The Ducks won 8 straight midseason and scored 40 points in each game, but dropped two of the last three, to Washington and Oregon State, heading into a Holiday Bowl matchup with North Carolina as a favorite.
13. LSU. A loss to Texas A&M in the finale dropped the Tigers out of College Football Playoff contention, and then Georgia put 50 on them in the SEC title game, but they appear to have some real potential with Garrett Nussmeier at quarterback. And a date with a depleted Purdue in the Citrus Bowl.
12. Florida State. Mike Norvell appears to have the Seminoles on sounder footing after winning nine games behind a strong rushing effort, and a shot at the Sooners in the Cheez-It Bowl, with quarterback Jordan Travis also saying he'll return in 2023.
11. Kansas State. The new Big 12 champions after a spirited effort behind Will Howard and star back Deuce Vaughn against then-perfect TCU, and a Sugar Bowl bid against Alabama.
10. TCU. Undefeated no more after Arlington, the Horned Frogs were still a sure thing for the College Football Playoff, earning a date with Michigan in the semifinal as the No. 3 seed in the Fiesta Bowl.
9. Clemson. Dabo finally made the move at quarterback, swapping DJ Uiagalelei (who is now transferring) for freshman Cade Klubnik, and with good results in a big win over Carolina for the ACC title, and looking ahead to a date in the Orange Bowl against Tennessee.
8. Penn State. A strong finish got the Lions to 10 wins, averaging more than 40 points per game the last month of the season with balance and speed, and earning a trip to the Rose Bowl against Pac-12 champion Utah.
7. Utah. That Utes team took it to USC to win the conference and gets another shot at Pasadena after playing an instant classic against Ohio State there a year ago. But this time they'll do it without star back Tavion Thomas as he turns pro.
6. Texas. The ESPN rankings have stubbornly included the Longhorns in the top 10 most of this season, through the ups and downs, but they did finish at 8-4 with a solid win over Baylor and are headed to the Alamo Bowl as a favorite against a good Washington team.
5. Tennessee. Big Orange won't go to the College Football Playoff after two costly late-season losses, but we'll see this terrific offense with potential star Joe Milton in at quarterback against Clemson.
4. Michigan. Look away, Wolverine fans: ESPN put UM behind the Buckeyes in the rankings despite the head-to-head win, and based on the index's per-game scoring margin projection, but the computer still gives the edge to Michigan when it comes to making and winning the national championship.
3. Ohio State. Backing into the College Football Playoff as the No. 4 seed after USC's loss, the Buckeyes and their potent offense draw Georgia in the Peach Bowl without two key pieces deep in the heart of Bulldog country.
2. Alabama. No playoff this year despite Nick Saban's pleas on national TV for the committee to include the two-loss Crimson Tide, but ESPN still favors this team by a projected 26.1 points per game, hence this higher-than-expected ranking.
1. Georgia. The consensus No. 1 team in college football is 13-0 for the first time ever and headed to the playoff as the favorite to win it all a second straight time.
More college football from SI: Top 25 Rankings | Schedule | All Teams