Florida football scored a key win on Saturday against the LSU Tigers that may have just saved the 2024 season for the Gators. Fueled by the return of freshman quarterback DJ Lagway, the Orange and Blue secured a 27-16 victory in the Swamp that puts the program on track for a postseason appearance.
Billy Napier’s boys turned in a complete team effort that — while not perfectly executed — was enough to overcome their top-25 opponent in Week 12. The offense found a groove, the defense stood strong when it counted most and the special teams unit was once again special.
As a result of the massive intra-conference triumph, ESPN’s Football Power Index gave Florida a small boost in its rankings as the college football regular season schedule nears a close.
Florida football’s FPI ranking, rating
Following the win, the FPI raised Florida two spots from No. 28 last week to No. 26, with the team’s overall rating rising from 9.3 to 10.5. That puts the Gators between the No. 25 Kansas State Wildcats and No. 27 Oklahoma Sooners.
Napier and Co. are now given a robust 85.1% chance of winning six games this fall — up from 43.6% — along with an 18.6% chance of winning out, as well as a 0% chance of winning the conference, a 0% chance of making the College Football Playoffs, a 0% chance of making the championship game and a 0% chance of winning the national title.
The FPI’s final record prediction rose from 5.4-6.6 to an even 6.0-6.0, which projects a bowl berth for the Orange and Blue.
SEC teams in FPI
The Texas Longhorns ascended to the top spot this week carrying a 26.7 overall rating, followed by the Alabama Crimson Tide (2nd, 26.6) — who slipped from the No. 1 position — and Georgia Bulldogs (5th, 23.0) among the top five schools.
The Ole Miss Rebels (6th, 22.4) and Tennessee Volunteers (9th, 19.3) wrap up the SEC teams in the top 10, while the South Carolina Gamecocks (13th, 14.5), Texas A&M Aggies (14th, 14.4), LSU (19th, 13.1) and Missouri Tigers (24th, 11.0) round out the top 25.
The remainder of the conference schools in the FPI are Florida (26th, 10.5), Oklahoma (27th, 10.3), the Auburn Tigers (28th, 9.1), Arkansas Razorbacks (32nd, 8.3), Vanderbilt Commodores (38th, 6.6), Kentucky Wildcats (46th, 5.5) and Mississippi State Bulldogs (69th, 0.0).
Up next for the Gators
The Gators play their final home game of the season against the Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday, Nov. 23. Kickoff is set for noon ET and will be broadcast on ABC.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Win over LSU nudges Florida up Football Power Index rankings
