Following the Gators’ 45-35 defeat to the LSU Tigers, the Florida Gators drop one spot to No. 36 in ESPN’s latest SP+ rankings, per Bill Connelly.
The SP+ ranking system was developed by Connelly in 2008 and, in his own words, is “a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency” and “intended to be predictive and forward-facing.”
The offensive metric is much kinder to the Orange and Blue than the defensive metric. Offensively, the Gators are the 23rd-best team in SP+. Last week, they were the 28th-best team offensively.
Defensively, Florida comes in at No. 62, a significant drop from last week when they were ranked at No. 49. Paired with the eye test, this makes sense. The Gators’ defensive performance against LSU was not good. They looked out-matched, about-schemed, and were flat out out-played by the Tigers’ offense.
Florida has two teams on its remaining schedule ranked above them. Georgia (No. 2), Texas A&M (No. 23). Florida State came in at No. 37, one spot behind the Orange and Blue. With the Gators on a bye this week, their next matchup will come on Oct. 29 against Georgia. The annual neutral-site matchup will be played at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. EDT. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports.
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