Following Week 1 of the 2025 college football season, ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) dropped its first Top 25 update, which lit up the fan base. While some are backing the rankings, a growing crowd, including former Michigan staffer and controversy magnet Connor Stalions, slams the list as blatantly biased.
Did Connor Stalions Accuse ESPN of SEC Favoritism?
The Football Power Index (FPI) released its updated Top 25 rankings on Sunday, Aug. 31, and controversy didn’t take long to erupt. Despite losing to Ohio State, Texas somehow held the No. 1 spot. Even more puzzling, Alabama, coming off a two-touchdown loss to Florida State, was still ranked ahead of the Seminoles.
The CFB community quickly pushed back, and one of the loudest critics was former Michigan staffer Stalions. He took to X to call out what he sees as a clear case of SEC favoritism.
This confirms 3 things:
1. Data can be easily skewed by its author to reinforce a conclusion they’ve already decided on.
2. ESPN doesn’t even hide its SEC propaganda anymore.
3. The Navy disrespect is duly noted. https://t.co/axDSBb2Pig
— Connor Stalions (@cpstalions) August 31, 2025
He argued that the data behind the rankings had clearly been manipulated to fit a predetermined narrative, accusing ESPN of pushing SEC propaganda without even trying to hide it. He also pointed out blatant disrespect toward the Navy.
FPI’s new Top 25
- Texas
- Georgia
- Ohio State
- Ole Miss
- Penn State
- USC
- Oregon
- Tennessee
- Notre Dame
- South Carolina
- LSU
- Florida
- Alabama
- Texas A&M
- Miami
- Auburn
- BYU
- Missouri
- Utah
- Michigan
- Clemson
- Oklahoma
- Iowa State
- SMU
- Kansas
How does ESPN’s FPI work?
Unlike traditional polls, the FPI isn’t built to reward past wins and losses. It’s designed to dig deeper, measuring a team’s strength beneath the surface. Case in point: while Texas fell to Ohio State on the scoreboard, the Longhorns outgained the Buckeyes by over 100 yards. According to the model, Texas would win the majority if those two teams played 10 times.
You don’t have to agree with or even like it, but that’s how the computer sees it.
“The Football Power Index (FPI) is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team’s performance going forward for the rest of the season. FPI represents how many points a team is above or below average. Projected results are based on 20,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule. Ratings and projections update daily. FPI data from seasons prior to 2019 may not be complete.” ESPN states.
Most impressive team in CFB after Week 1
LSU emerged from Week 1 as one of the most talked-about teams, especially after its 17–10 road win against Clemson. Many, including analyst Joel Klatt, praised the performance.
Coming into the game, the Tigers faced doubts after losing five straight season openers, three of them under HC Brian Kelly. But this time, LSU controlled the game on both offense and defense.
QB Garrett Nussmeier kept the offense steady, while the defense dominated. Clemson QB Cade Klubnik, once seen as a Heisman hopeful, was held to just 230 yards and threw a pick. Linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. was a constant problem for Clemson, and transfer corner Mansoor Delane made a statement with a standout interception.
