Florida didn’t play in Week 8, but the Gators still picked up a little ground in ESPN’s Football Power Index.
After the bye, Florida jumped two spots to No. 17 in the updated FPI rankings even though its rating dipped slightly to 14.5. The Gators are slotted between No.
16 Wake Forest at 15.1 and No. 18 Houston at 14.4.
The FPI is designed to forecast how teams will perform the rest of the season, using a net-points scale to measure strength and an expected margin against an average opponent on a neutral field. ESPN’s projections are built from 20,000 season simulations based on the FPI and each team’s schedule.
Florida’s projected regular-season finish sits at 7.7-4.3, and the model gives the Gators just a 1.3% shot at running the table. The chance of reaching six wins remains essentially locked in at 98.8%, while the odds of taking the conference moved up 0.5% to 2.5%.
The playoff outlook also ticked upward. Florida’s College Football Playoff chance climbed from 13.3% to 16.6%. The Gators now have a 0.9% chance of making the national championship game, up 0.2%, and a 0.3% chance of winning the title, up 0.1%.
Here’s how ESPN’s FPI top 25 looked after Week 8:
Ohio State Buckeyes
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Miami Hurricanes
Georgia Bulldogs
Alabama Crimson Tide
Indiana Hoosiers
LSU Tigers
Texas Longhorns
Ole Miss Rebels
Utah Utes
Oregon Ducks
Tennessee Volunteers
Nebraska Cornhuskers
Texas Tech Red Raiders
BYU Cougars
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Florida Gators
Houston Cougars
Oklahoma Sooners
Northwestern Wildcats
Louisville Cardinals
Texas A&M Aggies
Arizona Wildcats
Kentucky Wildcats
USC Trojans
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