The conclusion of college football’s spring practice season can only mean one thing — it is time for preseason predictions for this fall’s edition of America’s gridiron game. Among the many publications that have begun to trickle out their prognostications for the 2023 campaign is ESPN, which recently released its preseason Football Power Index, which included the Florida Gators in its top 25 teams.
Billy Napier’s team shows up at No. 18 in the overall FPI rankings, tied with fellow SEC school the Texas A&M Aggies with a 12.7 rating. They follow fellow conference compadres in the second-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs, No. 4 LSU Tigers, No. 12 Tennessee Volunteers and No. 16 Ole Miss Rebels in the top 25. The Ohio State Buckeyes sit in the top spot.
The preseason algorithm relies on past performance on offense and defense, returning and transfer production, and past recruiting data for players on each school’s respective roster to form a numerical rating. That data was then used to simulate the season 20,000 times, which produced the final results.
Florida’s expected overall record is 7-5 with a zero percent chance of winning out — which also includes making it to the national title game as well as winning it all. However, the Gators are expected to win more than six games (82.2%) with a 3.0% chance of prevailing in the SEC East and 0.5% chance of winning the SEC championship game; they also have a 0.2% chance of making the College Football Playoff.
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