College football rankings: Biggest risers, fallers in updated ESPN FPI after Week 11

Louisville took a big FPI drop after a Week 11 loss to California.
Louisville took a big FPI drop after a Week 11 loss to California. | Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

Week 11 delivered a significant number of college football upsets, and ESPN's FPI rankings have shifted accordingly. Here's a rundown of the power conferences' biggest jumps and dips in FPI rankings after Week 11.

Risers

Kentucky (up 11 spots to 39th)

The 4-5 Wildcats seemed stuck to the bottom of the SEC, but after back-to-back league wins, including a 38-7 mauling of Florida, the Wildcats could still end up with a legitimate shot at postseason play. FPI tabs Kentucky with a 54.5% shot at six wins, which has to be about 50% higher than it was two weeks ago.

SMU (up 7 spots to 23rd)

The Mustangs got a nice boost off a 45-13 thumping of Boston College. With all the shifting in the ACC, SMU now finds itself second in the league in the FPI rankings. In fact, SMU jumps to second in CFP chances at 11.3%. That's slightly ahead of Miami, but in the one-bid ACC, Georgia Tech is still getting the lion's share of CFP respect, even if the 8-1 Yellowjackets are (somehow) No. 30 in FPI.

Clemson (up 5 spots to 32nd)

The 4-5 Tigers took down Florida State 24-10 and accordingly are two spot below 8-1 Georgia Tech in this week's FPI rankings. Clemson is, of course, long out of the CFP hunt, but now has a 70.8% shot at six wins and postseason play.

Fallers

Louisville (down 10 spots to 36th)

Louisville's overtime loss to California pretty much shot their chances at the ACC and thus the CFP. FPI dropped the Cardinals to seventh in the ACC and Louisville now has a 3.6% chance at a CFP bid. Louisville had plenty of company in ACC misery in Week 11, but the Cardinals could have come out of the week as the league's big winner, but instead stumbled back.

Florida (down 10 spots to 35th)

Even at 3-6, FPI still has the Gators ranked fairly high. But last week's FPI top 25 ranking seems more than a little bit silly in retrospect. After a 38-7 beatdown at the hands of Kentucky, Florida dips to a 3.2% chance at six wins and bowl eligibility. If Billy Napier hadn't already been fired, last night probably would have gotten him that result.

Boston College (down 6 spots to 99th)

The 1-9 Eagles got blasted by SMU and are semi-officially the dregs of power conference football. With five ACC teams ranked below No. 80, there's plenty of parity at the bottom of the conference, but Boston College seems destined to take up the bottom.


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Joe Cox
JOE COX

Joe is a journalist and writer who covers college and professional sports. He has written or co-written over a dozen sports books, including several regional best sellers. His last book, A Fine Team Man, is about Jackie Robinson and the lives he changed. Joe has been a guest on MLB Network, the Paul Finebaum show and numerous other television and radio shows. He has been inside MLB dugouts, covered bowl games and conference tournaments with Saturday Down South and still loves telling the stories of sports past and present.