College football rankings: Biggest risers, fallers in updated ESPN FPI after Week 13

Coach Pat Narduzzi and Pittsburgh saw the biggest power conference jump in FPI rankings after a Week 13 upset of Georgia Tech.
Coach Pat Narduzzi and Pittsburgh saw the biggest power conference jump in FPI rankings after a Week 13 upset of Georgia Tech. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

College football's Week 13 saw plenty of shifts in ESPN's FPI rankings. No less than six power conference teams each dropped eight spots in the FPI after Week 13 struggles. The week had more teams on the slide than making meteoric rises, but here's the lowdown on power conference risers and fallers in the Post-Week 13 FPI.

Risers

Pittsburgh (up 9 spots to 29th)

Pitt's 42-28 win over Georgia Tech made them the week's big winners. At 8-3, Pittsburgh still has just a 4% chance at winning the ACC (and a 3.2% chance at reaching the CFP, given what a trainwreck the ACC has become). Pitt jumped to fourth in the ACC, (somehow) a single spot behind 5-6 Florida State.

Arizona State (up 8 spots to 37th)

The Sun Devils blasted Colorado 42-17 and saw a nice jump. They are hanging on with a 0.5% chance at winning the league and making the CFP, but that makes them one of only four Big 12 teams with any chance at all.

Iowa State (up 7 spots to 30th)

Iowa State thumped Kansas 38-14, but is one of the aforementioned Big 12 teams that's out of conference and playoff chances. Still a solid win and it jumped the Cyclones to fourth in the Big 12.

Fallers

Louisville (down 9 spots to 44th)

Lousiville's humbling 38-6 loss to SMU marks them completely out of the ACC title and CFP pictures. The Cardinals have faded badly down the stretch run of this season and are now just the midlest of favorites to outlast 5-6 Kentucky.

Georgia Tech (down 8 spots to (47th)

The FPI has seemingly always had it in for the Yellowjackets. Their 9-2 season now ranks below, say, 3-8 Florida and 2-9 Arkansas (by 11 spots). The loss to Pitt basically buried their ACC chances (0.4%) and CFP chances (0.3%).

Syracuse (down 8 spots to 96th)

Losses happen. 70-7 losses fortunately don't happen often. Syracuse is now in the ACC cellar, even behind 1-10 Boston College.

UCF (down 8 spots to 69th)

UCF actually WON and dropped eight spots. Yes, they won 17-14 against a horrible Oklahoma State team, but UCF still has a bowl shot for another week. That said, FPI doesn't think much of their chances (6.1%) to knock off BYU and reach bowl eligibility.

Colorado (down 8 spots to 77th)

Coach Prime's latest loss drops the Buffs to ahead of only OK State in the bottom of the Big 12. For such a highly-touted team, 77th is pretty embarassing. How embarrassing? It would place Colorado eighth in the AAC.

Nebraska (down 8 spots to 39th)

Presumably the Huskers didn't add more years or money to Matt Rhule's contract after a 37-10 loss to Penn State. Nebraska is now likely to finish the season 7-5.

UCLA (down 8 spots to 79th)

The Bruins had a tough 48-14 loss to Washington and are hanging just above Purdue at the bottom of the Big Ten.


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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.