ESPN has released its latest FPI rankings, with the Florida Gators rising slightly in their overall ranking and maintaining their bowl eligibility projection.
ESPN’s FPI rankings were developed in 2013 to measure each team’s overall strength and predict results as the season goes on. As the season progresses, the data used to determine a team’s FPI ranking will come from the games played. FPI also predicts the outcomes for each game played.
The metric has not been kind to the Orange and Blue this season. They started out hot with an upset win over Utah in [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]’s first game as Gators’ head coach. Afterward, the team struggled against Kentucky and USF, losing to the Wildcats and barely sneaking past the Bulls with a victory. Statistically, these were not the best performances from the Gators.
They bounced back statistically in their 38-33 loss to Tennessee and their 52-17 win over Eastern Washington. The defensive metrics improved on the back of [autotag]Jayden Hill[/autotag]’s two interceptions (including one pick-6) in the Gators’ 24-17 victory over Missouri last week.
Unfortunately, the defensive metric swung back in the wrong direction. Florida’s defense looked lost at times in their 45-35 loss to LSU, and the FPI’s defensive efficiency reflected what the eye test told us in the Gators’ latest outing.
The Gators were off last week, putting their ranking at the mercy of other programs. They have a tough matchup against Georgia this week, a game that will surely drop them in next week’s rankings and projections.
Here are the latest game-by-game and season-long FPI updates for the Florida Gators.