ESPN Football Power Index ranks Ohio State first following loss to Texas

Following a 24-23 loss to Texas on September 12, Ohio State moved into the top position in the ESPN Football Power Index. The Buckeyes surrendered a 20-point lead in the game, including being outscored 21-0 in the fourth quarter at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium. ESPN clarified that the FPI metric functions as a predictive tool for the remainder of the season rather than a historical record of team performance or a traditional poll ranking. The calculation uses 20,000 simulations based on net point strength, current results, and future schedule difficulty. Despite the loss, the model assigns Ohio State a 25% chance to win all remaining games and a 16.4% probability of winning the national championship. Ryan Day and the team now prepare for a schedule that includes matchups against Indiana, Oregon, Southern California, Iowa, and Michigan.

• 2:45 PMYahoo Sports — ESPN's FPI ranking moves Ohio State to No. 1 after historic collapse. Huh?