Week 8 of the 2026 college football regular season is in the books.

We’re more than halfway through the 2026 college football regular season, as the College Football Playoff picture is starting to take shape.

ESPN’s computer model, the Football Power Index, has updated its Top 25 rankings on Sunday morning. The Football Power Index, which is a projection-based model, has featured a decent shakeup to its Top 25 rankings, following the games that took place on Saturday.

ARLINGTON, TX – JANUARY 10: ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit looks on from the set of College Gameday prior to the CFP Semifinal Cotton Bowl Classic football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Texas Longhorns on January 10, 2025 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. (Photo by Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Icon Sportswire/Getty Images
ARLINGTON, TX – JANUARY 10: ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit looks on from the set of College Gameday prior to the CFP Semifinal Cotton Bowl Classic football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Texas Longhorns on January 10, 2025 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. (Photo by Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

ESPN’s new Top 25 rankings

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

How does ESPN’s FPI work?

The FPI is a projection-based model. It’s not meant to be a ranking of teams based on resumes or accomplishments thus far.

“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,” ESPN writes.

This story was originally published by The Spun on Oct 25, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Source: Yahoo Sports