Florida football was on a bye during Week 8, getting its only breather of the 2026 campaign. Despite the inactivity, the Gators gained ground in ESPN’s Football Power Index rankings, and many other metrics improved as well.
The FPI measures team strength and is meant to be the best predictor of a team’s performance for the rest of the season; it shows 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 its expected point margin against an average opponent on a neutral field.
Projected results are based on 20,000 season simulations using FPI and the schedule. Take a look at how Florida’s numbers shake out after Week 8’s gridiron action.
Where Florida football ranks in ESPN’s FPI after Week 8
Florida rose two spots to No. 17 in ESPN’s FPI rankings after the Week 8 bye, and its rating dropped by 0.2 points to 14.5. Sumrall and Co. now sit between No. 16 Wake Forest (15.1) and No. 18 Houston (14.4) in the standings…