At the top of the new ESPN FPI, within a whisker of each other are the Texas Longhorns at No. 1 and Alabama Football at No. 2. After barely surviving in Lexington, the Georgia Bulldogs dropped three slots to No. 5. The Ohio State Buckeyes are No. 3 and the Tennessee Volunteers are No. 4.
Other SEC teams in the FPI Top 25 are Ole Miss at No. 6; Missouri at No. 10; Oklahoma at No. 14; Texas A&M with a four-slot bump, at No. 15, and LSU at No. 22. The lagging SEC teams are Auburn (No. 26); Arkansas, down six slots to No. 29; South Carolina (No. 33); Kentucky with a 16-slot bump up at No. 39; Florida (No. 52); Vanderbilt (No. 60) and Mississippi State, with the Bulldogs plummeting 26 slots down to No. 64.
Unlike the human polls, ESPN's FPI is an algorithm designed to become more accurate as the season progresses. Alabama football fans can enjoy the Crimson Tide's new position, but it typically takes half of the regular season before the FPI algorithm calculates enough game data to be dependable.
Texas Longhorns and Alabama Football Clear Favorites for SEC Championship
Based on the new rankings, Texas and Alabama are the clear favorites to win the SEC Championship Game. The FPI gives the Longhorns a 35.7% probability. Alabama Football is at 22.9%, followed by Ole Miss at 15.1% and Tennessee at 13.1%. Georgia dropped way down after the Kentucky game to a 7.8% probability of becoming the SEC Champion. Missouri is at 3.3% and Texas A&M is at 1.3%.
According to the FPI, Florida, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, and South Carolina have a 0% probability of becoming the SEC Champion. LSU is at 0.4%. Oklahoma is at 0.2%. Auburn and Arkansas are at 0.1%.
Alabama Crimson Tide fans might notice that the worst FBS college football team based on an FPI ranking of No. 134, played in Neyland Stadium on Saturday; the Kent State Golden Flashes.