After Saturday’s upset win over the defending Pac-12 champion Utah Utes, Florida football finds itself at No. 25 in ESPN’s latest FPI rankings. They are also the No. 9 SEC team on the list.
ESPN’s FPI rankings were developed in 2013 as a way to measure the overall strength of each team and to predict results as the season goes on. As the season goes on, the data used to determine a team’s FPI will come from the games played. At the beginning of the season, the previous season’s data is used to determine the rankings. Now that we have data for the 2022 season, the FPI will pull from that instead of last season.
With the caveat that we only have one week’s worth of data, Orange and Blue’s improvement is meaningful. Before the season, the Gators came in at No. 28 overall and as the No. 11 team in the SEC. The slight increase may seem insignificant to some, but as the season goes on and more data is collected, Florida should expect to see itself in the top 15, maybe even the top 10, of the FPI rankings due to the tough schedule that lies ahead.
The Gators have an opportunity to improve upon their rankings next week as they take on the Kentucky Wildcats. The Gators’ SEC East opponents are currently the No. 21 team in the nation and the No. 7 SEC team, according to the FPI.
Kick-off for the Florida-Kentucky game will be at 7 p.m. EDT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN and played at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida.
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