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Updated ESPN FPI College Football Rankings Leave Fans in Disbelief

Joe Cox|
Despite the Week 1 loss for Arch Manning and Texas, CFP still likes the Longhorns best.
Despite the Week 1 loss for Arch Manning and Texas, CFP still likes the Longhorns best. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Texas LonghornsOhio State BuckeyesFlorida State Seminoles

Texas is No. 1? Yes, 24 hours ago, that sentence could finish with a period or exclamation mark, but after a season-opening loss to Ohio State, ESPN's CFP still have Texas at No. 1. Suffice it to say that ESPN's initial updates-- with several other surprises-- have fans somewhere in the realm of confusion and disbelief.

Texas (still) on top?

The most common reaction to No. 1 Texas remaining No. 1 after losing to No. 3 Ohio State is, well, laughter.

Still others, viewing the Horns atop the rankings, decided to call on AI to confirm that this was indeed the real world.

Other fans were confronting the truth that the entire statistical system seems to be more than a little iffy.

Ohio State's Beef

Based on his X handle, Brutus Buckeye above was likely aggrieved by one of the other faults of the rankings. Surely, if Texas is such a great team that a week 1 loss leaves the Longhorns somehow atop the nation, the Buckeye squad that took them down would jump to No. 2? In the time-honored words of Lee Corso, "Not so fast, my friend." The Buckeye jump was from No. 4 to No. 3, with Georgia (fresh off a cupcake win over Marshall) hanging in between.

Other Wild Moves in the FPI

The Texas and Ohio State moves may have been the highest profile question marks, but there was plenty else in the FPI to wonder about.

For the record, Temple beat UMass 42-10 to suddenly jump from the bottom of the barrel to the middle of the FBS pack.

A few other moves were nearly as shocking. Utah soared 26 spots into the top 20 by beating an overrated UCLA squad. While Florida State climbed 24 spots with a win over preseason FPI No. 3 Alabama, many took exception with that jump as not enough.

Suffice it to say, for many fans across college football, FPI's post-Week 1 numbers had the math not exactly adding up right.

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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.

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