ESPN updates FPI Top 25 after big Week 1 Saturday matchups in college football

ESPN has updated their FPI Top 25 following Week 1 of college football, which gave fans some tremendous showdowns and historic matchups on Saturday.

First, the action all began on Thursday, when the Penn State Nittany Lions defeated Purdue by a score of 35-31, leaving the Boilermakers in a state of shock leaving the field. Also, the return of the Backyard Brawl between West Virginia and more than lived up to the hype, as the Panthers won a thriller over the Mountaineers by seven.

Then, Michigan State took care of business over Western Michigan on Friday, as Mel Tucker’s squad defeated the Broncos 35-13 in their opener.

Finally, the first college football Saturday of the season featuring a full slate of games delivered and then some. The early window was highlighted by a bonkers game between North Carolina and Appalachian State. While the Tar Heels defense couldn’t stop a nose bleed — they allowed 40 points in the fourth quarter alone — Mack Brown’s squad was able to squeak out a 63-61 victory.

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Then, the Dan Lanning didn’t have a great go of it against his former team — the Georgia Bulldogs — in his coaching debut with the Oregon Ducks. To say the game wasn’t close is an understatement, as Lanning’s squad was embarrassed by Kirby Smart’s program, losing 49-3.

Finally, the coup de gras on Saturday was none other than a main event level matchup between Notre Dame and Ohio State. While the Fighting Irish gave the Buckeyes all they could have, Marcus Freeman came up short in his return to Columbus with Notre Dame, leaving with a 21-10 loss.

Moreover, the 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, according to ESPN. 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.”

ESPN provides FPI numbers for all 131 teams, from Alabama to New Mexico State, but these are the current top 25 programs following Week 1.

ESPN FPI Top 25, following Week 1:

1. Alabama Crimson Tide
2. Georgia Bulldogs
3. Ohio State Buckeyes
4. Clemson Tigers
5. Michigan Wolverines
6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
7. Texas Longhorns
8. Baylor Bears
9. Miami Hurricanes
10. Tennessee Volunteers
11. Oklahoma Sooners
12. LSU Tigers
13. Mississippi State Bulldogs
14. USC Trojans
15. Michigan State Spartans
16. Penn State Nittany Lions
17. Ole Miss Rebels
18. Wisconsin Badgers
19. Utah Utes
20. Kentucky Wildcats
21. Texas A&M Aggies
22. Oklahoma State Cowboys
23. SMU Mustangs
24. Florida Gators
25. Pittsburgh Panthers

Latest Movement among ESPN FPI Top 25:

First, the Baylor Bears jumped an inordinate amount of spots in the ESPN FPI Top 25, going from No. 21 to No. 8 in the matter of one week. Evidently, the algorithm was impressed with their 69-10 victory over Albany.

Additionally, Utah fell from No. 13 to No. 19 following their heartbreaking loss to Florida on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Gators go from previously being unranked to sneaking up to No. 24 in ESPN’s rankings.

Finally, USC and SMU joined the party after huge opening victories as well. The Trojans took care of business against Rice in Lincoln Riley’s debut, defeating the Owls 66-14, while the Mustangs defeated North Texas by 38 points.