ESPN’s FPI Has a New No. 1 Team Before the 2025 College Football Season originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
We’re roughly three months away from the start of the 2025 college football season.
To no surprise, the Texas Longhorns are one of the most talked about teams in the country. After reaching the College Football Playoff semifinal the last two seasons, coupled with phenom Arch Manning taking over at quarterback, there’s understandably high expectations for Texas this year.
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According to ESPN’s updated FPI (Football Power Index), the Longhorns are now the No. 1 team in the nation for the upcoming season. The update released on June 2 places Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State and Penn State behind Texas.
Ohio State is the reigning national champion and deserves its placing in the top five, but the Buckeyes will have to host the Longhorns for the first game of the season on Aug. 30. The winner of this non-conference matchup should become the heavy favorite to take home the national title.
It’s hard to argue against Steve Sarkisian’s squad holding the top spot in the ranking. Texas returns numerous playmakers on both sides of the ball, including Anthony Hill, Colin Simmons, Michael Taaffe, Ryan Wingo and Cedric Baxter among others.
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The Longhorns also landed several immediate impact players via the transfer portal this offseason. One of the key additions via the portal is former Cal tight end Jack Endris. With former starting tight end Gunnar Helm departing for the NFL, Endris is expected to start at the position for the Longhorns this year. He’s ranked the No. 2 tight end in the nation per PFF.
We’ll see if Texas can live up to the massive expectations soon enough.
Related: ESPN FPI Reveals Which SEC Teams Are Locks to Make College Football Playoff
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
