ESPN's College Football Power Index (FPI) released its preliminary rankings for the 2025 season, which is set to kick off in just over two months. Florida, fresh off an 8-5 season despite playing one of the toughest schedules in the country, returns key pieces on both sides.
However, their upcoming schedule isn't any easier, making the Gators a difficult team to evaluate.
ESPN's FPI ranks Florida 18th
Everybody knew the SEC and Big Ten would dominate the top end of almost every college football ranking. It still comes as a shock to see just how condensed the upper-echelon of the sport is. Seven of the top eight teams in ESPN's FPI come from the two power conferences, and the SEC holds each of the top three spots.
Florida, at 18th, is the 11th -- yes, 11th -- best SEC team according to ESPN. To put into perspective just how wild that is, Florida is more likely to make the national championship than win the SEC by ESPN's metrics.
It's mostly due to the Gators' grueling conference schedule, where they'll face FPI's top two teams (Texas and Georgia) in Florida, and powerhouses like Texas A&M (8), LSU (12), and Ole Miss (13) on the road. Oh, and they'll also host No. 10 Tennessee.
That doesn't even take into account a non-conference road matchup against Miami. So as weird as it feels, it makes sense that the Gators are projected for just 6.4 wins but have a 14.5 percent chance -- the 25th best -- at making the College Football Playoff.
Overall, it's a somewhat pessimistic outlook compared to human-made lists we've seen this preseason. It's likely due to ESPN's system underestimating the way Florida closed out the 2024 campaign. The Gators made significant strides defensively over their last four games, holding opponents to an average of 13 points per game and forcing a total of 12 turnovers.
The defensive resurgence aligned with DJ Lagway's return from injury. The gifted freshman delivered 844 passing yards and a 6:4 TD:INT during that four-game stretch, leading the Gators to upsets of No. 22 LSU and No. 9 Ole Miss.
Entering his sophomore season, Lagway has to be more consistent. But his talent is undeniable, and it showed in Florida's record. The Gators were 6-0 in 2024 when Lagway started and finished the game.
It'll be up to Lagway and Billy Napier to prove the computers over at ESPN wrong in 2025.