ESPN has Florida down four spots to No. 36 in the latest College Football Power Index update after the Gators lost to UCF in the Gasparilla Bowl.
Florida’s ranking is surprisingly high for a team that finished the year with a losing record for the first time since 2017, but the FPI has been kind to the Gators all year. 39th is still far from where Florida wants to be though, and plenty of other teams in the Southeastern Conference are set to finish ahead of UF.
Georgia and Alabama are Nos. 1 and 2 on the list, respectively. The Bulldogs have a 42.5% chance to win the national championship and the Tide has a 34.6% shot, according to ESPN. Texas A&M is No. 15 and shouldn’t move too much after deciding to back out of the Gator Bowl against Wake Forest.
Ole Miss is two spots below the Aggies at No. 17 despite the Rebels finishing the regular season with two more wins. Auburn is just below at No. 19 and Tennessee and Mississippi State control Nos. 22 and 23.
Arkansas moved up two spots to No. 26 and Kentucky jumped up a spot to No. 29. That puts Florida at 10th in the SEC, and an LSU win against Kansas in the Texas Bowl would move the Tigers ahead of the Gators too.
It wasn’t the season many expected for Florida, but the Billy Napier era has officially begun and should hopefully bring brighter days.
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