Tag: rankings

All 32 NFL quarterbacks (including Jayden Daniels) ranked by Total QBR

The latest QB rankings heading into Week 16, using the Total QBR metric.

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels looks completely healthy again. After injuring his ribs in a Week 7 win over the Carolina Panthers, Daniels battled the injury for weeks despite never missing a game.

During this time, Daniels looked more like a rookie. His performances against the Eagles (Week 11) and Cowboys (Week 12) were the worst of his rookie season. Those on the outside said the rib injury was impacting Daniels as a runner and passer. While Daniels insisted he was fine, his numbers dropped, and he appeared more hesitant running the ball.

Over Washington’s last two games, Daniels has looked more like the player from the first 10 weeks. In Sunday’s win over the New Orleans Saints, Daniels completed 25 of 31 passes for 226 yards and touchdowns. He also led the Commanders with 66 rushing yards. Daniels picked up huge first downs with his legs while also making some spectacular throws.

So, after 15 weeks, where does Daniels rank in ESPN’s Total QBR metric? Before we look at the rankings, here’s a reminder of how the Total QBR is measured.

ESPN’s Total Quarterback Rating (Total QBR), which was released in 2011, has never claimed to be perfect, but unlike other measures of quarterback performance, it incorporates all of a quarterback’s contributions to winning, including how he impacts the game on passes, rushes, turnovers and penalties. Also, since QBR is built from the play level, it accounts for a team’s level of success or failure on every play to provide the proper context and then allocates credit to the quarterback and his teammate to produce a clearer measure of quarterback efficiency.

Here are the latest Total QBR leaders from ESPN, heading into Week 16.

  1. Josh Allen: 79.3
  2. Lamar Jackson: 76.0
  3. Joe Burrow: 74.0
  4. Kyler Murray: 68.3
  5. Jayden Daniels: 67.9
  6. Matthew Stafford: 66.4
  7. Jordan Love: 66.3
  8. Jared Goff: 65.6
  9. Jalen Hurts: 65.4
  10. Brock Purdy: 65.2
  11. Patrick Mahomes: 64.6
  12. Derek Carr: 64.2
  13. Tua Tagovailoa: 61.2
  14. Sam Darnold: 60.2
  15. Trevor Lawrence: 59.4
  16. Drake Maye: 58.7
  17. Jameis Winston: 57.8
  18. Justin Herbert: 56.5
  19. Baker Mayfield: 56.1
  20. Russell Wilson: 55.3
  21. Aaron Rodgers: 53.9
  22. Kirk Cousins: 52.7
  23. Bo Nix: 52.2
  24. Geno Smith: 52.1
  25. C.J. Stroud: 49.8
  26. Caleb Williams: 48.1
  27. Daniel Jones: 47.9
  28. Anthony Richardson: 46.5
  29. Dak Prescott: 46.1
  30. Bryce Young: 44.0
  31. Gardner Minshew: 38.3
  32. Cooper Rush: 36.3

Plus two more:

  • 33. Will Levis: 30.2
  • 34. Deshaun Watson: 23.0

Gators hoops continues to climb up KenPom ratings at 11-0

Florida remains unbeaten after six weeks of college basketball action, and the Gators are approaching a top-5 rating according to KenPom.

The Florida Gators (11-0) moved up a spot in the KenPom College Basketball Ratings to No. 7 after a pair of big wins over Arizona State and North Carolina.

A net rating of plus-26.50 is 1.20 points higher than Gators Wire’s last check-in with KenPom on Dec. 8. The jump is expected after securing a pair of Quadrant 1 victories, the first two of the season for Florida.

Many college hoops experts and oddsmakers consider Pomeroy’s ratings to be the gold standard in the sport, and its reputation has lasted for more than 20 years.

“His ratings are derived from a proprietary algorithm, with the core centered on the Pythagorean calculation for expected winning percentage, made famous by baseball statistician Bill James,” ESPN explains.

“Pomeroy’s formula is designed to be purely predictive, with an emphasis on margin of victory. He factors in offensive and defensive efficiency, tempo and even luck, but does not, however, take into consideration injuries or emotional factors.”

SEC KenPom ratings

Auburn (plus-35.36, 1st) leads all SEC programs followed by Tennessee (plus-31.45, 2nd), Florida and Alabama (plus-25.38, 8th) inside the top 10.

Thirteen of the 16 SEC programs are ranked inside the top 50.

Kentucky (plus-23.37 11th), Texas A&M (plus-21.69, 19th) and Mississippi State (plus-20.32, 25th) are inside the top 25, and Ole Miss (plus-19.97, 27th) is just outside that threshold.

Texas (plus-17.31, 37th), Oklahoma (plus-17.30, 38th), Georgia (plus-17.05, 39th), Arkansas (plus-16.94, 41st) and Missouri (plus-15.04, 50th) are the other top-50 teams from the conference.

LSU (plus-14.36, 56th), Vanderbilt (plus-13.24, 63rd) and South Carolina (plus-11.68, 66th) are all close to breaking into the top 50.

Breaking down the KenPom ratings

Date Nov. 12 (Week 1) Nov. 20 (Week 2) Nov. 26 (Week 3) Dec. 2 (Week 4) Dec. 9 (Week 5) Dec. 18 (Week 6)
W-L 3-0 5-0 6-0 8-0 9-0 11-0
NetRtg +19.83 (20) +20.74 (22) +21.86 (18) +25.33 (8) +25.30 (8) +26.50 (7)
ORtg 117.2 (13) 118.1 (11) 119.5 (8) 120.2 (9) 121.9 (5) 122.8 (7)
DRtg 97.4 (49) 97.4 (51) 97.6 (49) 94.9 (22) 96.6 (29) 96.3 (21)
AdjT 73.2 (47) 71.7 (72) 70.4 (93) 69.2 (125) 69.0 (131) 70.1 (83)
Luck +.000 (117) +.000 (182) +.000 (188) +.003 (181) +.002 (187) +.010 (178)
SOS Net -4.16 (237) -4.27 (239) -3.79 (252) -0.55 (189) -1.28 (208) +2.11 (102)
SOS ORtg 100.8 (265) 100.0 (293) 101.4 (303) 103.2 (269) 102.6 (319) 105.6 (230)
SOS DRtg 105.0 (198) 104.3 (167) 105.2 (164) 103.8 (62) 103.9 (87) 103.5 (45)
NCSOS Net -4.16 (237) -4.27 (239) -3.79 (252) -0.55 (189) -1.28 (209) +2.11 (98)

Since we last checked in with KenPom, Florida’s adjusted offensive efficiency rating has improved by 0.9 points per 100 possessions and the defense is allowing 0.3 fewer points per 100 possessions. Those numbers translate to a one-spot jump in the offensive ratings and an eight-spot ascent on defense.

Florida’s adjusted tempo improved for the first time this season and is now at 70.1 possessions per 40 minutes. After a preseason projection of 73.6 possessions per 40, Florida dipped as low as 69.0 earlier this month. The Gators are back inside the top 100 but still have work to do to crack the top-40 expectation set at the beginning of the season.

Florida has been expected to win most of its games, so its luck rating hasn’t deviated from a baseline triple zeroes at the beginning of the year. At plus-.010, the number is almost insignificant, which is a good thing. High luck can mean a lower rating and negative luck can mean underperforming.

Strength of Schedule according to KenPom

KenPom’s strength of schedule ratings only considers the games played, and Florida hasn’t played the toughest non-conference slate by any means. However, a pair of tough neutral site games against ASU and UNC have led to a jump in the rankings this week. Florida’s schedule is now ranked the 102nd toughest to date among Divison I programs and is the 98th-toughest non-conference schedule.

The rest of the non-conference schedule shouldn’t be much trouble, with North Florida (169th) and Stetson (350th) rounding out the calendar year. Still, the Gators need to be wary of any potential trap games.

Looking back at Florida’s 11 wins: four have come against top-100 programs, North Carolina (28th), Arizona State (58th), Florida State (65th) and Virginia (100th); five have come against opponents rated between 100 and 200, Wake Forest (101st), Wichita State (114th), South Florida (155th), Southern Illinois (162nd) and Jacksonville (175th); and two have come against opponents rated outside of the top 200, Grambling State (275th) and Florida A&M (349th).

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Florida up a spot in ESPN Basketball Power Index after 11-0 start

Florida keeps winning on the hardwood and ESPN keeps moving the Gators up its Basketball Power Index as a result.

Florida notched a pair of Quadrant 1 wins since the last time Gators Wire checked in on the ESPN Basketball Power Index. As a result, the Gators are ranked a season-high No. 14 on the BPI, a one-spot increase in 10 days.

Note: The BPI is updated daily; however Gators Wire provides weekly updates so as not to overwhelm fans with constant changes.

Florida’s BPI is 16.3, further broken down as 9.5 (10th) on offense and 6.9 (33rd) on defense. Compared to last week’s BPI numbers — 15.7, 9.6 and 6.1 — the offense is slightly down and the defense improved a significant amount. The Gators are trending up in both categories, though, moving up one spot and into the top 10 of the offensive rankings and up 11 spots on defense.

“The College Basketball Power Index (BPI) is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of performance going forward,” ESPN explains. “BPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Strength of Record (SOR) is a measure of team accomplishment based on how difficult a team’s W-L record is to achieve. Game predictions account for opponent strength, pace of play, site, travel distance, day’s rest and altitude, and are used to simulate the season 10,000 times to produce season projections.”

ESPN BPI Projections

ESPN now projects Florida to finish the season with a 23.2-7.8 overall record (1.1 more wins than last week) and a 10.2-7.8 record in conference play (0.3 more wins) based on results to date and BPI-based projections for remaining scheduled games. Beating strong programs such as Arizona State and North Carolina have greatly improved Florida’s non-conference résumé.

The Gators have 2.9% odds to win the conference, up from 2.2% a week ago. Florida faces the 41st-toughest schedule moving forward. As expected, the conference schedule will be a gauntlet.

NCAA Tournament Resume

The 11-0 start has the Gators ranked third overall in strength of record — up from 10th a week ago — which translates to a No. 1 seed if the season were to end today.

Florida’s overall strength of schedule is up to No. 53 and its non-conference strength of schedule is ranked No. 47. The Gators finally notched a “quality win” (against top 50 in BPI) by beating North Carolina, which ranks No. 19 in the latest BPI.

ESPN gives Florida 1.1% odds of winning the NCAA Tournament and 2.8% odds of making it to the championship game. A Final Four appearance (7.5%) or Elite Eight appearance (17.3%) continue to see increased odds, as do the chances of a Sweet 16 (38.5%) and Round of 32 appearance (73.4%).

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NFL power rankings roundup: Saints fall further after Week 15 loss

The Saints continue to move further down in the power rankings week by week as they fall to 5-9 on the season with their playoff hopes hanging on by a thread

The New Orleans Saints are back in the loss column after a 20-19 loss to the Washington Commanders in Week 15. This puts them at 5-9 on the season with a less than 1% chance of making the playoffs, as they continue to get closer to a good pick rather than competition.

This moves the Saints to 3-2 in the Darren Rizzi era now, and media outlets have begun to see that this is not a perfect team either, moving them back down to where they were prior to the promotion of Rizzi to interim head coach.

With only three games left in the season and an extremely improbable path left to the playoffs, the Saints are in a pretty bad spot overall, and this leaves them near the bottom of many different media outlets’ power rankings entering Week 16. Here’s a look at where they stand in the rankings of multiple media outlets, as well as where they were at this time last week:

High: 21 – Low: 26  – Average: 23.5

The Saints have a few weeks left to go up or down in these rankings, but ultimately I think the most important thing is figuring out if Spencer Rattler is your starting quarterback. After a strong second half showing for him against the Washington Commanders without preparation as the starter, they might as well give him another shot and see how he’s improved.

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Gators hoops jump to No. 7 in AP Top 25 Poll after 10-0 start

Florida basketball is undefeated through the first six weeks of the season, and the Gators’ 10-0 record has them at No. 7 in the latest AP Top 25 Poll.

Florida basketball climbed two spots to No. 7 in the AP Top 25 Poll following a win over Arizona State to improve to 10-0 on the season.

The Gators defeated the Sun Devils in convincing fashion, 83-66, on Saturday to secure the program’s longest winning streak since 2013-14. It was the first Quadrant 1 win of the season for Florida after the win over FSU was downgraded to a Quadrant 2 victory.

The top five in the AP Poll are the same as the Coaches Poll this week, Tennessee, Auburn, Iowa State, Kentucky and Duke. Alabama, Florida, Kansas, Marquette and Oregon round out the top 10, with Gonzaga dropping out of range.

SEC Teams ranked inside the AP Top 25

Eight programs from the Southeastern Conference finished inside the top 25 following Week 6, down from nine a week ago. Besides the five top-10 programs mentioned above, the Texas A&M Aggies (No. 12), Oklahoma Sooners (No. 14) and Ole Miss Rebels (No. 17) made the cut. The Mississippi State Bulldogs fell just outside of the top 25 with 158 votes — Clemson, the new No. 25 team received just 175 votes.

The Arkansas Razorbacks and Missouri Tigers are also just outside of the top 25, trailing Mississippi State directly with 151 and 120 votes, respectively. The Georgia Bulldogs earned 18 poll points and the Texas Longhorns earned three.

Week 6 AP Top 25 Poll

Ranking Team Record Points Trend
1 Tennessee 10-0 1,537 (50) –
2 Auburn 9-1 1,483 (12) –
3 Iowa State 9-1 1,416 –
4 Kentucky 10-1 1,325 +1
5 Duke 8-2 1,324 -1
6 Alabama 8-2 1,210 +1
7 Florida 10-0 1,169 +2
8 Kansas 8-2 1,056 +2
9 Marquette 9-2 926 -3
10 Oregon 10-1 903 +2
11 UConn 8-3 808 +7
12 Texas A&M 9-2 758 +5
13 Gonzaga 7-3 737 -5
14 Oklahoma 10-0 732 -1
15 Houston 6-3 582 –
16 Purdue 8-3 498 -5
17 Ole Miss 9-1 459 +2
18 UCLA 9-1 436 +6
19 Cincinnati 8-1 325 +3
20 Michigan State 8-2 322 +1
21 Memphis 8-2 287 –
22 Dayton 9-2 281 –
23 San Diego State 7-2 250 –
24 Michigan 8-2 209 -10
25 Clemson 9-2 175 -9

Others receiving votes:

Mississippi St. 158, Arkansas 151, Missouri 120, Baylor 115, Illinois 70, Drake 52, St. John’s 50, Utah St. 48, Pittsburgh 28, Maryland 24, West Virginia 19, Wisconsin 18, Georgia 18, Oklahoma St. 16, Arizona St 14, Creighton 12, North Carolina 9, Penn St. 8, Indiana 7, Texas 3, St. Bonaventure 2.

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Sports illustrated ranks Florida-Tulane Gasparilla Bowl

Sports Illustrated ranks Gasparilla Bowl matchup between the Gators and Tulane.

Florida football’s matchup with the Tulane Green Wave in the upcoming Gasparilla Bowl is the 17th-best bowl game of the season, according to Sports Illustrated. 

The Gators are riding a wave of momentum into the bowl game, driven by freshman quarterback DJ Lagway. His leadership was pivotal in helping Florida string together three consecutive wins to finish out the regular season strong.

Lagway’s emergence as a dynamic playmaker has sparked new hope for Florida’s future, with head coach Billy Napier looking to keep the team’s momentum going into this bowl game and next season.

According to Sports Illustrated writer Zach Koons, the Gasparilla Bowl “already lost some of its luster with standout Tulane freshman quarterback Darian Mensah announcing his transfer to Duke.”

Despite the Green Wave’s starting quarterback not taking part in the matchup, this bowl matchup is still going to be a fun one to watch.

Here is everything Sports Illustrated said about the Gasparilla Bowl.

What SI said about the Gasparilla Bowl

“This game already lost some of its luster with standout Tulane freshman quarterback Darian Mensah announcing his transfer to Duke,” Koons wrote.

“Still, the Green Wave’s defense is still one of the best units in the country, running back Makhi Hughes ran for 1,372 yards this season (10th in FBS) and head coach Jon Sumrall spurned interest from major programs to stay in New Orleans, keeping the program as one of the premier teams in the AAC.”

Koon continued, “Florida still features rising star freshman quarterback DJ Lagway, who helmed wins over LSU, Ole Miss and Florida State to close out the year. If Billy Napier can build off of his team’s performance in the second half of this season, beginning with this bowl game, the Gators may be a team to consider more closely next year in the SEC.”

SI’s top 10 bowl games

This list does not include games from the College Football Playoff.

10. Kinder’s Texas Bowl (Baylor Bears vs. LSU Tigers)

9. SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl (Texas A&M Aggies vs. USC Trojans)

8. StaffDNA Cure Bowl (Ohio Bobcats vs. Jacksonville State Gamecocks)

7. Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl (Marshall Thundering Herd vs. Army Black Knights)

6. ReliaQuest Bowl (Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Michigan Wolverines)

5. Birmingham Bowl (Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. Vanderbilt Commodores)

4. Cheez-It Citrus Bowl (South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Illinois Fighting Illini)

3. DirecTV Holiday Bowl (Syracuse Orange vs. Washington State Cougars)

2. Pop-Tarts Bowl (Iowa State Cyclones vs. Miami Hurricanes)

1. Valero Alamo Bowl (BYU Cougars vs. Colorado Buffaloes)

How to watch Gasparilla Bowl

The Florida-Tulane game starts at 3:30 p.m. ET on Friday, Dec. 20, and will be broadcast on ESPN2.

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USA TODAY Sports ranks Florida-Tulane matchup in Gasparilla Bowl

The Gasparilla Bowl might be a bit of a mismatch — in Florida’s favor — according to USA TODAY Sports.

College football’s bowl season is finally here and this year the Florida Gators will face the Tulane Green Wave in the Gasparilla Bowl. For Billy Napier and Co., this game is the culmination of a monumental effort this season to get over the hump and back into the postseason.

The Orange and Blue finished with a 7-5 overall record thanks to three straight wins to wrap up the regular-season schedule — including two over-then-top-25 teams. The achievement ends a three-year losing streak, which was the longest the program had endured since the 1940s.

The Green Wave went 9-4 this fall including a blowout loss to the Army Black Knights in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game last weekend.

USA TODAY Sports writer Eddie Timanus recently put together his rankings of 35 non-playoff postseason matchups based on what he believes will have the highest entertainment value. His was pretty bearish overall.

Gasparilla Bowl ranking

According to Timanus’ rankings, the Florida-Tulane matchup in the 2024 Gasparilla Bowl comes in at No. 28 out of the 35 total games listed.

“The matchup here is a lot less attractive than the records might indicate,” he notes. “The Green Wave’s promising year wound up in a series of disappointments including transfer exits, while the Gators made a surprising push late and will now look to carry that momentum into the offseason.”

How to watch Gasparilla Bowl

The Gators will face the Green Wave in the Gasparilla Bowl held inside Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on Dec. 20. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET and the game will be televised on ESPN2.

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Where CBS Sports ranks Florida-Tulane Gasparilla Bowl matchup

CBS Sports ranks Gasparilla Bowl matchup between the Gators and Tulane at No. 28.

Florida football is set to close an eventful season with a matchup in the Gasparilla Bowl, taking on the Tulane Green Wave.

With both teams looking to end their years on a high note, there’s no doubt this matchup will provide some excitement for the fans.

The Gators, led by coach Billy Napier, turned heads late in the season with signature wins over LSU, Ole Miss and Florida State, showcasing their potential heading into the offseason and next year. For Florida fans, it’s another chance to watch rising star quarterback DJ Lagway in action before he gears up for a pivotal year ahead.

Looking at Tulane, it enters the bowl game with something to prove after a frustrating end to its season. Once considered a potential dark horse playoff team, the Green Wave lost to Memphis and Army in back-to-back games.

CBS Sports writer Brad Crawford ranked the Gasparilla Bowl at No. 28 in his list of bowl games for 2024-25. This is what he wrote about the matchup.

What CBS Sports said about the matchup

“Florida ended Billy Napier’s Year 3 with victories over LSU, Ole Miss and Florida State,” Crawford wrote.”Any opportunity to watch DJ. Lagway throw it around again before the offseason is welcomed. The Green Wave lost to Army in the AAC Championship Game a week after falling to Memphis in a game that squandered dark horse playoff potential.”

CBS Sports’ top 10 bowl games

1-2. Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl semifinals

3. Sugar Bowl quarterfinal: (2) Georgia vs. Indiana or Notre Dame

4. Rose Bowl quarterfinal: (1) Oregon vs. Tennessee or Ohio State

5. Fiesta Bowl quarterfinal: (3) Boise State vs. SMU or Penn State

6. Peach Bowl quarterfinal: Arizona State vs. Clemson or Texas

7. Pop-Tarts Bowl: Miami vs. Iowa State

8. Gator Bowl: Ole Miss vs. Duke

9. ReliaQuest Bowl: Michigan vs. Alabama

10. Birmingham Bowl: Vanderbilt vs. Georgia Tech

What’s next for Florida?

The Gators will face the Tulane Green Wave in the Gasparilla Bowl held inside Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on Dec. 20. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPN2.

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Gators hoops holds steady at No. 8 in KenPom after ninth win

Florida remains inside the top 10 of the KenPom ratings after beating Virginia to move to 9-0 on the season.

The Florida Gators remain at No. 8 in the KenPom College Basketball Ratings after a 9-0 start to the 2024-25 season. Florida beat Virginia last week, keeping its perfect record intact.

A net rating of plus-25.30 is 0.03 points lower than a week ago, which means the Gators are keeping their performance consistent against non-conference opponents.

Many college hoops experts and oddsmakers consider Pomeroy’s ratings the gold standard in the sport, and the reputation has held for more than 20 years.

“His ratings are derived from a proprietary algorithm, with the core centered on the Pythagorean calculation for expected winning percentage, made famous by baseball statistician Bill James,” ESPN explains.

“Pomeroy’s formula is designed to be purely predictive, with an emphasis on margin of victory. He factors in offensive and defensive efficiency, tempo and even luck, but does not, however, take into consideration injuries or emotional factors.”

SEC KenPom ratings

Auburn (plus-32.12, 1st) leads all SEC programs followed by Tennessee (plus-30.99, 2nd), Alabama (plus-25.46, 7th), Florida (plus-25.30, 8th) and Kentucky (plus-24.94, 10th).

Thirteen of the 16 SEC programs are ranked inside the top 50.

Texas A&M (plus-20.76, 24th) moved back into the top 25, while Mississippi State (plus-20.36, 26th) and Ole Miss (plus-19.73, 27th) are both on the borderline of that threshold. Georgia (plus-17.49, 35th), Texas (plus-16.73, 38th), Oklahoma (plus-16.23, 42nd), Arkansas (plus-16.01, 45th) and Missouri (plus-14.77, 49th) are the other top-50 teams from the conference.

LSU (plus-14.44, 51st), Vanderbilt (plus-12.98, 60th) and South Carolina (plus-11.44, 68th) are all close to breaking into the top 50.

Breaking down the KenPom ratings

Date Nov. 12 (Week 1) Nov. 20 (Week 2) Nov. 26 (Week 3) Dec. 2 (Week 4) Dec. 9 (Week 5)
W-L 3-0 5-0 6-0 8-0 9-0
NetRtg +19.83 (20) +20.74 (22) +21.86 (18) +25.33 (8) +25.30 (8)
ORtg 117.2 (13) 118.1 (11) 119.5 (8) 120.2 (9) 121.9 (5)
DRtg 97.4 (49) 97.4 (51) 97.6 (49) 94.9 (22) 96.6 (29)
AdjT 73.2 (47) 71.7 (72) 70.4 (93) 69.2 (125) 69.0 (131)
Luck +.000 (117) +.000 (182) +.000 (188) +.003 (181) +.002 (187)
SOS Net -4.16 (237) -4.27 (239) -3.79 (252) -0.55 (189) -1.28 (208)
SOS ORtg 100.8 (265) 100.0 (293) 101.4 (303) 103.2 (269) 102.6 (319)
SOS DRtg 105.0 (198) 104.3 (167) 105.2 (164) 103.8 (62) 103.9 (87)
NCSOS Net -4.16 (237) -4.27 (239) -3.79 (252) -0.55 (189) -1.28 (209)

Since we last checked in with KenPom, Florida’s adjusted offensive efficiency rating has improved by 1.7 points per 100 possessions and the defense is allowing 1.7 more points per 100 possessions. Those numbers translate to a four-spot jump in the offensive ratings and a seven-spot dip on defense.

Florida’s adjusted tempo continues to drop, now at 69.0 possessions per 40 minutes after a preseason projection of 73.6. The Gators were one of the fastest-paced programs in the country a year ago but are now well outside of the top 100.

Florida has been expected to win most of its games, but a pair of neutral site matchups means that the Gators have a luck rating slightly above triple zeroes. Still, at plus-.002, the number is almost insignificant, which is a good thing. High luck can mean a lower rating and negative luck can mean underperforming.

Strength of Schedule according to KenPom

KenPom’s strength of schedule ratings only considers the games played, and Florida hasn’t played the toughest non-conference slate by any means. After a nice jump up the rankings last week, a matchup with Virginia has Florida’s strength of schedule ranked 208th in the country.

The rest of the non-conference schedule isn’t too daunting, but Arizona State (50th) and North Carolina (30th) are both decently rated. North Florida (175th) and Stetson (335th) give the Gators an easy finish to the calendar year.

Looking back at Florida’s nine wins: two have come against top 100 opponents, Florida State (66th) and Wichita State (89th); five have come against opponents rated between 100 and 200, Jacksonville (173rd), South Florida (147th), Southern Illinois (182nd), Virginia (108th) and Wake Forest (109th); and two have come against opponents rated outside of the top 200, Florida A&M (345th) and Grambling State (264th).

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Florida climbs into top 15 of ESPN Basketball Power Index

Florida keeps winning, and ESPN keeps moving the Gators up its Basketball Power Index. Florida is ranked 15th in BPI after five weeks.

The Florida Gators continued to climb up the ESPN Basketball Power Index this week with a victory over Virginia, resulting in a three-spot jump to No. 15 after a fifth week of play.

Note: The BPI is updated daily; however Gators Wire provides weekly updates so as not to overwhelm fans with constant changes.

Florida’s BPI is 15.7, further broken down as 9.6 (11th) on offense and 6.1 (44th) on defense. It’s a bit of a give-and-take from last week’s BPI numbers — 15.8, 9.1 and 6.8 — but the offense continues to improve. The Gators jumped up four spots in the offensive rankings and fell nine spots on defense.

“The College Basketball Power Index (BPI) is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of performance going forward,” ESPN explains. “BPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Strength of Record (SOR) is a measure of team accomplishment based on how difficult a team’s W-L record is to achieve. Game predictions account for opponent strength, pace of play, site, travel distance, day’s rest and altitude, and are used to simulate the season 10,000 times to produce season projections.”

ESPN BPI Projections

ESPN now projects Florida to finish the season with a 22.1-8.9 overall record (0.2 fewer wins than last week) and a 9.9-8.1 record in conference play (0.3 fewer wins) based on results to date and BPI-based projections for remaining scheduled games. Those changes are reflective of strong performances from several SEC teams.

The Gators have 2.2% odds to win the conference, down from 3.2% a week ago. Florida faces the 17th-toughest schedule moving forward. As expected, the conference schedule will be a gauntlet.

NCAA Tournament/Resume

The 9-0 start has the Gators ranked 10th overall in strength of record — up from 12th a week ago — which translates to a No. 3 seed if the season were to end today.

Florida’s overall strength of schedule is up to No. 132 and it’s non-conference strength of schedule is ranked No. 129. The Orange and Blue face two top-100 opponents over the next two weeks — North Carolina (19th) and Arizona State (63rd). The Gators haven’t faced a “quality opponent” (top 50 in BPI) yet.

ESPN gives Florida 0.5% odds of winning the NCAA Tournament and 2.1% odds of making it to the championship game. A Final Four appearance (6.1%) or Elite Eight appearance (15.2%) are more possible, and the odds of a Sweet 16 (33.7%) and Round of 32 appearance (68.0%) remain high.

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