ESPN's Computer Releases Its New Top 25 Rankings Sunday

ESPN’s computer model, the Football Power Index, has released its new Top 25 rankings on Sunday morning.

Another week of the 2026 college football regular season is in the books. Saturday’s games featured a highly impressive performance by Alabama, a dominant showing from Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and more.

Following the games, ESPN’s computer model, the Football Power Index, has updated its rankings.

The new Top 25 rankings are below.

Ohio State has jumped back up to No. 1 overall.

ESPN’s computer model Top 25

1. Ohio State
2. Georgia
3. Notre Dame
4. Texas
5. Miami
6. Alabama
7. Indiana
8. LSU
9. Oregon
10. Tennessee
11. Texas Tech
12. Utah
13. Nebraska
14. Texas A&M
15. Florida
16. BYU
17. Northwestern
18. Missouri
19. USC
20. Penn State
21. Oklahoma
22. Ole Miss
23. Pittsburgh
24. Auburn
25. Houston

How does ESPN’s FPI work?

“The Football Power Index (FPI) is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team’s performance going forward for the rest of the season. FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 20,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule. Ratings and projections update daily. FPI data from seasons prior to 2019 may not be complete,” the FPI writes.

This story was originally published by The Spun on Oct 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.