SMU Mustangs head football coach Rhett Lashlee has never been shy about calling out what he perceives as bias in sports media, and ESPN is often the target of his ire.
ESPN released its initial Football Power Index (FPI) college football rankings in June. Meant to provide 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,” ACC teams Miami and Clemson showed up at No. 9 and No. 11, respectively. Lashlee’s SMU, coming off an 11-3 season and berth in the College Football Playoff, came in at No. 20.
As the 2025 college football season approaches, ESPN offered an updated ranking on Friday, and despite no football having been played, Miami dropped from No. 9 to No. 17 while Clemson fell from No. 11 to No. 16. Various SEC and Big Ten schools, meanwhile, moved up the rankings. SMU, for its part, moved up one spot to No. 19.
What accounts for the abrupt changes in the rankings that made it so every school in the Top 15 was now either Notre Dame or from the Big Ten or SEC? Lashlee shared a theory on X…
“Because the whole thing is rigged,” the SMU coach wrote.
Lashlee has been keeping receipts on the college football media world and inherent pro-Big Ten/SEC bias for a while now. When it wasn’t clear if his 8-1 team would make the CFP, he called out the perception that the ACC and B12 couldn’t measure up to the Big Ten and ACC. He also called the SEC “top-heavy” to counter the perception of its depth. He later called out ESPN (while on ESPN) for creating unnecessary drama around the CFP selection despite reports already revealing who would be selected.
If Lashlee can keep the Mustangs in CFP contention again this season, expect to hear some more strongly worded opinions about the discussion happening around his school and conference.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.