Buckeyes Jump to No. 1 in ESPN FPI After Texas Thriller

ESPN’s Football Power Index moved Ohio State to No. 1 after their 24–23 loss to Texas, explaining the shift as a predictive metric rather than a resume-based ranking. FPI uses 20,000 simulations to gauge team strength and future performance, which can elevate a team despite a late-game collapse. OSU now has about a 25% chance to win out this season and a 16.4% chance to win the national title, with remaining games against Indiana, Oregon, USC, Iowa, and Michigan, while Texas sits with roughly a 19.7% title odds. The ranking change reflects FPI’s forward-looking strength rather than the box score alone.