One of the more promising metrics favoring Florida football coming into the 2024 campaign was ESPN’s Football Power Index, which ranked the Gators at No. 20 overall with an FPI of 10.1 in its preseason edition. However, the devastating home loss to the Miami Hurricanes in the season opener has resulted in some significant changes.
The Orange and Blue are now ranked 44th in the updated FPI following Week 1 with a 4.4 rating. That puts Florida at No. 14 in the Southeastern Conference, ahead of only the South Carolina Gamecocks (49th, 3.1) and the Vanderbilt Commodores (68th, -0.2).
“The Football Power Index 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,” according to ESPN. “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.”
Napier and Co. are given a 15.9% chance of winning six games this fall, a 0% chance of winning the conference, a 0.2% chance of making the College Football Playoffs, a 0% chance of making the championship game and a 0% chance of winning the national title.
That is a lot of zeroes.
SEC teams in FPI
The SEC is represented among the top 25 by the top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs (29.6), followed by the Alabama Crimson Tide (2nd, 27.2), Texas Longhorns (3rd, 25.8), Tennessee Volunteers (7th, 20.2), Ole Miss Rebels (8th, 17.9), Oklahoma Sooners (9th, 17.3), Missouri Tigers (12th, 15.5), Auburn Tigers (16th, 12.4), LSU Tigers (17th, 11.4) and Texas A&M Aggies (18th, 11.3).
The Kentucky Wildcats (28th, 8.6), Arkansas Razorbacks (30th, 8.4) and Mississippi State Bulldogs (37th, 6.4) sit outside of the top 25 along with Florida and the other two.
Next up for the Gators
The Gators will get a chance to even up their 2024 regular season record against the Samford Bulldogs next Saturday inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on the SEC Network+.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.