Georgia wins but drops from No. 1 in ESPN FPI after Week 5
Georgia beat Vanderbilt, and still lost the No. 1 spot.
Kirby Smart’s squad fell from the top of ESPN’s Football Power Index after Week 5, according to www.saturdaydownsouth.com, despite pulling away from the Commodores in the second half. Ohio State regained the pole position after winning big at Iowa, per the same source.
The Buckeyes’ jump caps another week of flux atop the FPI. The top 5 teams have remained mostly steady this year, but the order has fluctuated on a whim every week, as reported by www.saturdaydownsouth.com. The specific reasons for the FPI change are not detailed in the source.
What is clear is that Georgia’s win wasn’t enough to hold off Ohio State’s road rout. The Bulldogs now sit at No. 2, with the Buckeyes back on top.
WEEK 5 RESULTS THAT SHAPED THE RANKINGS
The weekend’s results delivered exactly the kind of chaos the FPI tends to reward. Alabama dominated Mississippi State in Starkville, according to www.saturdaydownsouth.com, while Ohio State went to Iowa and won big, per the source.
Georgia pulled away from Vanderbilt in the second half, as reported, but the margin of victory apparently wasn’t enough to keep the Bulldogs on top. Mizzou also picked up a statement win over Florida, per the article, adding another data point to the weekend’s shifting picture.
All that drama led to a change at the top of the rankings, according to www.saturdaydownsouth.com. The Buckeyes’ road rout paired with Georgia’s slower start against the Commodores was enough for the FPI to flip the order.
The specific formula inputs aren’t detailed in the source, but the outcome is clear: Ohio State back at No. 1, Georgia sliding to No. 2.
THE NEW FPI TOP 25
The full FPI top 25 after Week 5, per www.saturdaydownsouth.com, reads: Ohio State, Georgia, Notre Dame, Texas, Miami, Alabama, Indiana, LSU, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas Tech, Utah, Nebraska, Texas A&M, Florida, BYU, Northwestern, Mizzou, USC, Penn State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Pitt, Auburn, Houston.
Texas, which has a head-to-head win over Ohio State, checks in at No. 4, according to the source.
The SEC leads all conferences with 11 teams in the FPI top 25, as reported. That’s the most of any conference.
The 5 SEC squads that didn’t make the cut were Mississippi State (No. 27), Kentucky (No. 34), South Carolina (No. 38), Vanderbilt (No. 53) and Arkansas (No. 65), per the article.
SEC DOMINANCE IN FPI
That depth is the story even as Georgia slipped from No. 1. The SEC didn’t lose its grip on the FPI; it just shuffled the order, with 11 of the top 25 spots belonging to the conference.
The five SEC teams that missed the cut were Mississippi State (No. 27), Kentucky (No. 34), South Carolina (No. 38), Vanderbilt (No. 53) and Arkansas (No. 65), per the article. That means half of the league’s 16 programs are still ranked inside the top 25, with several others knocking on the door.
The FPI has been a roller coaster this year, and while the top 5 teams have remained mostly steady, the order fluctuates weekly, according to www.saturdaydownsouth.com. Georgia’s drop doesn’t signal a decline — it reflects how tight the margins are at the top.
For the SEC, the rankings confirm what the standings already suggest: the conference’s strength runs deep. Even the teams that fell short of the top 25 — Mississippi State, Kentucky, South Carolina, Vanderbilt and Arkansas — are within striking distance, with none of them ranked worse than No. 65.
That kind of floor, paired with the firepower at the top, is why the SEC continues to dominate the FPI conversation. Georgia may have lost the No. 1 spot, but the conference’s overall presence in the rankings hasn’t wavered.
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
The article says to check back next Sunday after an exciting Week 6 slate, according to www.saturdaydownsouth.com. But what that slate actually includes remains unspecified in the source.
Week 6 matchups and any potential ranking changes are not specified. The FPI has already proven it can shift on a whim, per the source, which described the rankings as a roller coaster this year.
That volatility is the only safe prediction. Georgia beat Vanderbilt and still dropped, so the margins at the top are thin enough that any result next week could reshuffle the order again.
The source also promotes a Saturday Football Newsletter for updates, but that is promotional, per www.saturdaydownsouth.com.
For now, the takeaway is simple: check back next Sunday and expect movement. The FPI’s top five have stayed mostly steady, but the order has fluctuated weekly — and there’s no reason to believe Week 6 will break that pattern.
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