The Florida Gators snapped a seven-game losing streak to Football Bowl Subdivision opponents on Saturday with a 45-28 victory at the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
The Week 4 win evened [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]’s season record both overall (2-2) and in Southeastern Conference play (1-1). It also boosted the program’s morale while rumors continued to fly around the head coach’s tenure on Florida’s sidelines.
Beyond the emotional aspect of the triumph, it also gave the national media a modicum of confidence in a team that faces the toughest schedule in the sport this fall. Some of the computer models have been kind to the Orange and Blue, such as ESPN’s SP+.
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Florida football’s SP+ ranking, rating
Last week, the Gators were ranked No. 36 out of 134 schools with an overall 8.4 rating. After the road win in Starkville, they now ranked No. 33 with a 10.3 overall rating.
Even better, Florida’s special teams remain the top-ranked squad in the country per SP+ with a 0.4 rating. On offense, the team moved up from No. 21 with a 34.5 rating to No. 13 with a 36.7 rating; the defense remains ranked at No. 62 with a 26.8 rating — 0.2 better than last week.
SP+ Top 10 Teams
The Texas Longhorns take over the top spot in the SP+ rankings after Week 4, followed by the Ohio State Buckeyes, Alabama Crimson Tide, Ole Miss Rebels and Georgia Bulldogs, respectively.
The Tennesse Volunteers, Miami Hurricanes, Oregon Ducks, Penn State Nittany Lions and Missouri Tigers, respectively, round out the top-10 teams.
About SP+
“SP+ is indeed intended to be predictive and forward-facing. It is not a résumé ranking that gives credit for big wins or particularly brave scheduling — no good predictive system is,” according to ESPN.
“It is simply a measure of the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football. If you’re lucky or unimpressive in a win, your rating will probably fall. If you’re strong and unlucky in a loss, it will probably rise.”
Up next for the Gators
The Gators will be out of action for Week 5 due to their bye week. Florida’s next opponent will be the UCF Knights on Oct. 5 at 7:15 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
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