Week 2 brought a fresh round of shakeups in ESPN’s FPI, and not all of them lined up neatly with the scoreboard. Ohio State’s loss was enough to send the Buckeyes all the way to No. 1 in the ratings, but several other teams also saw major movement after the weekend.
Oklahoma State was one of the biggest winners. The Cowboys’ 39-31 upset of Oregon pushed them up nearly 20 spots, and ESPN now has them projected for six wins with a 1.4% chance to make the College Football Playoff.
That number may be a bit generous, but it marks a clear boost for Oklahoma State. Oregon, meanwhile, barely budged in the wrong direction, slipping just five spots.
NC State also got a sizable lift after its 73-0 win over Richmond. That result appears to have restored some faith in the Wolfpack after their rough Week 0 loss to Virginia. ESPN now projects NC State to six wins and gives it a 0.5% shot at the CFP.
Maryland made the biggest jump among Big Ten teams. The Terps climbed nearly a dozen spots after beating UConn 38-14. ESPN gives Maryland a 2.1% chance to reach the Playoff and a 69% shot at bowl eligibility, putting the Terps firmly in the middle of the conference pack.
Not every Big Ten team came out of Week 2 in good shape, though. Minnesota took a hit after a 38-13 home loss to Mississippi State and now sits with only Rutgers below it in the league’s FPI rankings. The Gophers have no shot at the Playoff and just a 21% chance of reaching six wins.
Washington is another team whose FPI number took a hit despite a 2-0 record. The Huskies’ 16-14 win over Utah State didn’t impress ESPN’s computers, and they dropped in a big way.
Washington is now 10th in the Big Ten, with a 2.3% shot at the Playoff and a 67.5% chance of becoming bowl eligible. It remains one of the lowest-ranked 2-0 power conference teams in the FPI.
Arkansas had the roughest slide of the bunch. The Razorbacks’ 43-10 loss to Utah sent them to the SEC cellar and near the bottom of all Power Four teams, with Rutgers the only team below them. ESPN gives Arkansas no chance at the Playoff and only a 2.3% shot at winning six games, with a 3-9 projection now in place.
In Other News...
Floridas Poll Push Comes Down To One Big Test
The first full AP Top 25 of the young season brought plenty of movement, with Texas climbing to No. 1 after its upset of Ohio State and Oregon and Oklahoma sliding out after losses. Michigan slipped back in at No. 19, while Washington was one of the teams on the outside looking in after a narrow win left enough doubt in the voters minds to bump the Huskies from the rankings. For a program trying to establish itself early, the margin for error is already feeling thin.
Washingtons path back is part of a broader conversation around teams trying to sort out who belongs in the poll and who still has more proving to do. Floridas case is getting the most attention because the Gators have a major test ahead, but the Huskies have their own work cut out for them in the coming weeks if they want to turn a shaky first impression into something the voters can trust. For now, the question is less about style points than whether Washington can put together a performance that leaves no room for debate. [Read more 🡒]
Oregons Playoff Hype Already Looks Shakier Than Washington Fans Expected
Oregon entered the season with playoff buzz and a hefty cushion in the betting market, but Oklahoma State spent the afternoon dragging the Ducks into a far less comfortable conversation. The Cowboys snapped a 21-game losing streak against FBS opponents and handed Oregon a 39-31 defeat, with Drew Mestemaker powering the upset by throwing for 317 yards and two touchdowns while also piling up 109 rushing yards and a score in the opener for coach Eric Morris.
Dante Moore did help steady the Ducks with two second-half touchdown passes, yet the broader picture was hard to ignore for Washington fans tracking the state of the conference race. Oregon was outgained 554 to 281, a lopsided performance that made the loss look less like a stumble and more like an early reminder that preseason hype can vanish quickly when a favored team spends the day chasing an opponent it was expected to handle. [Read more 🡒]
Washingtons 2027 Commits Are Giving Huskies Fans Something To Watch
The early part of the high school season is already giving Washington fans a glimpse at what the Huskies have coming down the line in the 2027 class. Running back Jeremy Adeyanju, quarterback Blake Roskopf and wide receivers Zerek Sidney and Dontay Tyson have all turned in eye-catching performances, a useful reminder that recruiting rankings are only the start of the story once these players hit the field. For a program always looking ahead, those early returns offer plenty to track as the commits keep building their cases.
Adeyanju has been especially productive as a runner and receiver, while Roskopf and Sidney each added another strong outing to their resumes in recent action. Tyson has also been part of the group giving Washington followers a reason to keep tabs on scoreboard updates far from Seattle, with each performance feeding the bigger question of how these future Huskies might fit once they arrive. The competition for playing time does not begin on campus, of course, but it is already easy to see why this class is becoming one worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]