Here's the Football Power Index's preseason ranking for Florida
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ESPN's Football Power Index initial data for the 2026 season has the Florida Gators among the preseason ratings' top 25 heading into fall.
The FPI is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team's performance going forward for the rest of the season and represents how many points above or below average a team is. Each team is assigned a rating that measures its true strength on a net points scale as well as expected point margin versus an average opponent on a neutral field.
Projected results are based on 20,000 simulations of the season using FPI and the schedule. Here is a look at how Florida's numbers shake out.
Where Florida football ranks in ESPN's preseason FPI
The Gators land at No. 18 in ESPN's initial FPI rankings for the 2026 campaign — the exact same spot they began last season before faltering to a 4-8 final record — with a rating of 13.6. That puts them between the No. 17 Penn State Nittany Lions (13.7) and No. 19 Clemson Tigers (13.4).
The FPI predicts Florida to finish this fall's regular-season schedule with a 6.7-5.3 record with a 0% chance of winning out. The chances of finishing with six wins or more sit at 71.5%, while the odds of winning the conference are a meager 2.0%. However, the Gators have a 15.2% chance of making the College Football Playoff, a 1.7% chance of reaching the national championship game and a 0.7% chance of bringing home the title.
Football Power Index preseason top 25 rankings
- Ohio State Buckeyes (28.7)
- Texas Longhorns (26.9)
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish (25.9)
- Oregon Ducks (25.3)
- Georgia Bulldogs (24.8)
- Indiana Hoosiers (23.1)
- Miami Hurricanes (21.8)
- Alabama Crimson Tide (20.1)
- LSU Tigers (20.0)
- Texas Tech Red Raiders (20.0)
- Texas A&M Aggies (20.0)
- Oklahoma Sooners (17.8)
- USC Trojans (17.0)
- Ole Miss Rebels (16.0)
- Michigan Wolverines (15.9)
- Tennessee Volunteers (15.1)
- Penn State Nittany Lions (13.7)
- Florida Gators (13.6)
- Clemson Tigers (13.4)
- BYU Cougars (13.1)
- Missouri Tigers (12.2)
- Auburn Tigers (12.0)
- South Carolina Gamecocks (11.7)
- SMU Mustangs (11.1)
- Iowa Hawkeyes (10.6)
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Here's the Football Power Index's preseason ranking for Florida
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