Florida football endured another embarrassing loss on its home field last Saturday after the Texas A&M Aggies came to town and earned their first true road game in nearly three years. The devastating defeat now has Billy Napier on the hottest head coach hot seat in the nation.
Everybody knew how tough things would be for the Gators this fall given that they are cursed with the hardest schedule in college football while also in the midst of a ground-up rebuild. Still, it has been brutal to watch this team continue to make the same mistakes it has made since before Napier’s arrival.
As the Orange and Blue flounders, the rest of the sports media has taken note and has dismissed Florida from the major polls while burying the Gators in their respective rankings. Even some of the computer models have lost faith in the Gainesville gang, but one particular metric remains rather bullish.
Florida football’s SP+ ranking, rating
ESPN’s SP+ data after Week 3 of college football action ranks Florida at No. 36 out of 134 schools with an overall 8.4 rating. That places the Gators between the No. 35 Virginia Tech Hokies (8.5) and No. 37 Memphis Tigers (8.3).
On offense, the Orange and Blue rank at No. 21 with a 34.5 rating while the defense ranks at No. 62 with a 26.6 rating. The Gators’ special teams somehow are the top-ranked squad in the nation with a 0.4 rating.
The Florida State Seminoles, who started the season at 0-3, are two spots ahead of Florida at No. 34 with an 8.8 rating.
SP+ Top 10 Teams
The Ohio State Buckeyes occupy the top spot after Week 3 in the SP+ rankings, followed by the Alabama Crimson Tide, Texas Longhorns, Ole Miss Rebels and Georgia Bulldogs to complete the top five.
The Tennesse Volunteers, Missouri Tigers, Oregon Ducks, Miami Hurricanes and Notre Dame Fighting Irish also 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
Florida will play their first road game of the season as they travel up to Starkville to play against the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Saturday, Sept. 21. Kickoff is set for noon ET and will be broadcast on ESPN.
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Publish date : 2024-09-16 08:03:00
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