ESPN’s Shocking Computer Model Reveals Nation’s Most Doomed Team—Can Anyone Believe Who Tops the List?

When ESPN’s Football Power Index drops its predictions for the 2025 college football season, it’s like getting a cheeky backstage pass to the gridiron’s crystal ball. Sure, we all have a pretty good hunch about who’s gonna rule the roost—Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, and Penn State usually get the nod—but then there’s this sneaky question nobody wants to ask out loud: who’s gonna be the cellar dweller? Believe it or not, the Pac-12’s Washington State Cougars have earned the dubious honor of being the “worst” major team according to the FPI. Now, that might sound harsh, but when the schedule’s looking softer than a marshmallow on a cold day, even a 5-7 record feels like a punch to the gut. So here’s a thought to chew on while Kirk Herbstreit’s busy calling the plays—how much weight should we put on cold hard algorithms, when passion and unpredictability are the heart and soul of college football? Ready to unravel the numbers and maybe challenge what you think you know? LEARN MORE.

ESPN’s computer model, the Football Power Index, has released its projections for the 2025 college football season.

It’s obvious who the best teams in the country will be – at least in the minds of most – though the Football Power Index has still made its projections. The 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 above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 20,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule.”

ESPN’s computer model believes that Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State and Penn State will be the country’s top teams in 2025.

But who will be the worst?

According to ESPN’s computer model, the worst “major” team in the country in 2025 will be one from the Pac-12.

ESPN’s Football Power Index believes that the Washington State Cougars will be the country’s worst team in 2025. The Football Power Index is projecting Washington State to be the 98th best team in the country in 2025. The FPI is projecting Washington State to go 5.0-7.0 in 2025.

That’s not an awful win-loss projection, but the Pac-12 is hardly what it used to be. Washington State will be playing a relatively easy schedule, with games against Washington, Ole Miss, Virginia and Oregon State, among others, on tap for 2025.

You can view ESPN’s Football Power Index projections here.