College football rankings: ESPN updates FPI Top 25 entering Week 2 as Alabama, Miami soar (2024)

Preseason FPI ranking: No. 1

Georgia quarterback Carson Beck said halftime adjustments led to Georgia's blitzing of Clemson in the second half of Saturday's 31-point stomping in Atlanta. Beck threw two touchdowns as the Bulldogs embarrassed the Tigers.

"I think just coming out in the first quarter maybe there was a little bit of nerves," Beck said, via Dawgs247. "Maybe guys were just trying to get warmed into the game. Once we got in that second half, looking at the iPad, seeing what they were doing against us, it was everything that we saw on film that we watched from last year. We just kind of deciphered which ways we wanted to attack them and maybe tried to be a little bit more aggressive coming out at the half, and I think we did a really good job of that."

Preseason FPI ranking: No. 5

Five total touchdowns from Jalen Milroe and a spectacular debut from five-star freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams were the highlights of Alabama's opening win under coach Kalen DeBoer against WKU. ESPN's FPI pushed the Crimson Tide from No. 5 to No. 2 this week just behind Georgia and ahead of Texas as the nation's second-best team. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the opener was Alabama's defense pitching a shutout against the Hilltoppers.

Preseason FPI ranking: No. 3

There's no worry in the backfield yet for the Longhorns after a 52-point beatdown of Colorado State included 190 yards rushing and three scores, but Week 2 will show more at Michigan. Quarterback Quinn Ewers threw three touchdown passes for the SEC newcomers and ESPN's FPI continues to believe in the Longhorns as an expanded playoff and national championship contender. The schedule stiffens from here for the defending Big 12 champs in the their new league.

Preseason FPI ranking: No. 4

Ohio State cannot be judged too strongly until the Buckeyes face an opponent of substance. They looked the part in the second half of Saturday's win over Akron.On top of securing one of the nation's top transfer classes with Alabama All-American safety Caleb Downs, Ole Miss standout ballcarrier Quinshon Judkins and multi-year Kansas State starting quarterback Will Howard, the Buckeyes also quickly replaced newly-hired offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien with UCLA head coach Chip Kelly.

Preseason FPI ranking: No. 6

The new-look Penn State offense was scintillating at West Virginia, especially the play of Drew Allar. He looked comfortable from the pocket and tossed three first-half touchdowns as the Nittany Lions pulled ahead in the second quarter and never looked back on the road.James Franklin made changes to a 10-win team he felt were necessary to get over the hump and into the expanded playoff and through Week 1, Penn State looks legit.

Preseason FPI ranking: No. 7

Saturday night's emphatic road win at Texas A&M answered any questions about Notre Dame under Marcus Freeman. Behind a solid first start from Riley Leonard at quarterback and heroic effort defensively at the back end with multiple interceptions, the Fighting Irish left a sold-out Kyle Field with one of Week 1's top victories. Now, the road to the playoff is perfectly laid out for a team with staying power.

Preseason FPI ranking: No. 8

Nico Iamaleava was nearly perfect against Chattanooga as Tennessee dropped 69 points at Neyland Stadium. Dylan Sampson scored two touchdowns on the ground for a dominant run game as well.Iamaleava leads the Vols atquarterback in a new era of sorts offensively. He was responsible for four touchdowns in his first career start in the Citrus Bowl win over Iowa and last season's sensation at the position,Hendon Hooker,already deemed him "the chosen one" in Knoxville.

Preseason FPI ranking: No. 16

Ole Miss torched Furman by 76 points and moved up eight spots in Sunday's FPI update behind six total touchdowns from Jaxson Dart.This is the most-talented roster ever assembled in Oxford — on paper. Ole Miss grabbed a couple high-end defensive starters out of the portal, coaxed South Carolina's top returning playmaker Juice Wells to switch sides and feel good about their backfield despite the loss of Quinshon Judkins moving over to Ohio State. The Rebelsare one of the offseason's poster boys for "teams to watch" and have an impressivetrajectory based on what Lane Kiffin's group accomplished in 2023 with 11 wins.

Preseason FPI ranking: No. 10

ESPN's FPI places the Sooners in the top 10 despite Oklahoma being outside of the top 15 in the AP Poll. Deion Burks is a star, evidenced by three touchdowns in Friday night's opener. The Purdue transfer at the wideout spot was one of the spring MVPs for the Sooners and he has carried that playmaker ability in the passing game to the regular season. Jackson Arnold looked in full control of Oklahoma's offense heading into his first campaign as the starter as Brent Venables and this team head into the SEC.

Preseason FPI ranking: No. 2

Most expect Dan Lanning to make his first playoff appearance at Oregonthisseason, but the Ducks slid eight spots in ESPN's latest FPI update after struggling against Idaho. Anything less than that, given this program's rise, resources and offseason work in the portal, would underwhelm. Not only did Oregon button up its quarterback room with portal additions Dillon Gabriel and Dante Moore, but the Ducks are being built on the defensive side of the football similar to Georgia in terms of depth, skill and ferocity — from the trenches out is the motto for Lanning.

Preseason FPI ranking: No. 23

Miami jumped a Week 1-best 11 spots to No. 12 after its dismantling of Florida in the Swamp behind three touchdown passes from Cam Ward and a spirited effort defensively. The U is back under Mario Cristobal, at least for a week, after the statement win. Miami is now the ACC's favorite this fall according to this ESPN FPI update. The Hurricanes' schedule sets up for success the rest of the way with a portal-laden roster and quarterback who will be in the Heisman discussion.

Preseason FPI ranking: No. 10

Missouri has two former five-stars on its roster in wideout Luther Burden and freshmanWilliams Nwaneri, a returning starter at quarterback in Brady Cook coming off a statistically-noteworthy season and filledseveral major needswithtransfer market signings. The big question comes on defense and whether or not the Tigers will be able to stay among the elites despite a new-look secondary and a couple first-year pass rushers to the lineup.

Preseason FPI ranking: No. 21

Louisvillejumped eight spots after its season-opening victory. Tyler Shough's four touchdown passes in his debut during a 62-0 romp of Austin Peay was more than enough to impress the computers and push the Cardinals into ACC-contending status moving forward. Jeff Brohm's team appears to have an impressive offense with a squadinfused with transfer-portal threats.

Preseason FPI ranking: No. 12

LSU battles USC Sunday night in Las Vegas in an effort to win its first season opener since the 2019 season — the last national championship-winning campaign for the elite program.

"I think you have to keep in mind there are a number of players on this team that have experienced two openers where they weren't successful, including myself. There's a resolve there you wanna be prepared in any way to see that you come out victorious. Their preparation has been outstanding, they've prepared, now they know they gotta perform," Tigers coachBrian Kellysaid Thursday.

Preseason FPI ranking: No. 12

The quarterback situation still looks iffy at best following a season-opening win over Fresno State,but everyone knows the other side of the football will be championship-caliber based on what's coming back. Will Johnson's interception return for a score in the fourth quarter of Saturday's opener helped the Wolverines stave off an upset and keep their winning streak intact, but the defending national champions did drop three spots in the FPI rankings.

Preseason FPI ranking: No. 19

Backed by four touchdown passes from Payton Thorne, Auburn made sure to get many of its newcomers involved during a notable performance. Auburn's a bit of a mystery team out of the SEC, but ESPN's FPI is high on the Tigers as a possible contender if Freeze and company can combat a challenging schedule.

Preseason FPI ranking: No. 11

Equipped with an elite signing classto pair with his portal additions, Mike Norvell showcased his offseason expertise with another talent reload and should be one of the coaches who significantly benefits from playoff expansion — or so it seemed. The Seminoles fell six spots from their preseason ranking just outside the top 10 after losing to Georgia Tech in Week 0 and already face must-win status on Monday night against Boston College at home.

Preseason FPI ranking: No. 14

Quarterback Conner Weigman struggled with two interceptions during Saturday's loss to Notre Dame, battling the nation's best secondary without success. First-year Aggies coach Mike Elko hit the portal hard and if that's a sign of things to come,Texas A&M should find success in thenew-look SEC as one of college football's best jobs. But for now, in 2024, the Aggies are a pretender after the opening loss.

Preseason FPI ranking: No. 18

After ending in disappointment with seven wins during Lincoln Riley's second season, USC enters the Big Ten with renewed optimism after making widescale changes defensively to its coaching staff and personnel. Not only do the Trojans bring back a handful of key starters, but they've added strength from the transfer portal and pulled UCLA's top assistant for a philosophical change on defense. USC battles LSU Sunday night in Las Vegas.

20. Kansas Jayhawks

This team's win over Linwood wasn't good enough for the computers, which pushed the Jayhawks three spots back this week.

21. UCF Knights

After piling up 454 yards rushing in its opener, UCF jumps 11 spots into this week's ESPN FPI rankings.

22. Kansas State Wildcats

Colorado transfer Dylan Edwards scored twice in his first game at Kansas State on Saturday.

23. Clemson Tigers

Dabo Swinney's team dropped eight spots after a disheartening loss to Georgia in Atlanta.

24. Arizona Wildcats

If youdidn't seeArizona's record-setting performance at the wideout position in Saturday's late-night affair, you missed a treat.

25. Utah Utes

The preseason Big 12 favorites moved up two spots into the rankings after Week 1's shutout win.