Iowa took a nosedive in ESPN’s 2025 preseason Football Power Index rankings, released on Friday. The Hawkeyes are ranked No. 38 in this year’s preseason edition of the poll, dropping 16 spots from their 2024 ranking of No.

Auburn will host the No. 2 and No. 3 teams in the FPI rankings this season in Alabama and Georgia. Both teams are projected to win ten games and play in the College Football Playoff. Auburn has not beaten the Crimson Tide since 2019, and it has been even longer since they beat the Bulldogs. The last win over Georgia was in 2017.

ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI) predicts the Kansas State Wildcats are most likely to win the Big 12. The Houston Cougars are projected to have the worst record in the Big 12, with fewer than five projected wins. Eight Big 12 teams have less than a 5% chance of making the College Football Playoffs, according to FPI.