ESPN released its opening edition of the 2024 Football Power Index, signaling that the college football season is not too far away. Although a bit under three months remain until the first kickoff, the data has been compiled and sorted giving the model plenty to work with in predicting the upcoming campaign.
The Florida Gators led by third-year head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] ranked among the top 25 schools on the list, coming in at No. 20 overall with an FPI of 10.1, but No. 11 among Southeastern Conference peers. The data projects only a .500 record for the Orange and Blue, demonstrating the difficult schedule that faces the program next fall.
“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 58.2% chance of winning six games, a 0.7% chance of winning the conference, an 8.3% chance of making the College Football Playoffs, a 0.7% chance of making the championship game and a microscopic 0.3% chance of winning the national title.
The SEC is also represented among the top 25 by the top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs, followed by the Texas Longhorns (No. 3), Alabama Crimson Tide (No. 5), Oklahoma Sooners (No. 8), Tennessee Volunteers (No. 9), Missouri Tigers (No. 10), LSU Tigers (No. 13), Texas A&M Aggies (No. 14), Ole Miss Rebels (No. 16) and Auburn Tigers (No. 19).
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