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.
The FPI still projects the Gators to finish this fall's regular-season schedule with a 7.7-4.3 record and a 1.3% chance of winning out. Florida's chances of finishing with six wins remain at a near-certain 98.8%, while the odds of winning the conference rose by 0.5% to 2.5%.
The Gators' chance of making the College Football Playoff improved from 13.3% to 16.6%, along with a 0.9% chance of reaching the national championship game (up 0.2%) and a 0.3% chance of bringing home the title (up 0.1%).
Football Power Index top 25 rankings after Week 8
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Miami Hurricanes
- Georgia Bulldogs
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- Indiana Hoosiers
- LSU Tigers
- Texas Longhorns
- Ole Miss Rebels
- Utah Utes
- Oregon Ducks
- Tennessee Volunteers
- Nebraska Cornhuskers
- Texas Tech Red Raiders
- BYU Cougars
- Wake Forest Demon Deacons
- Florida Gators
- Houston Cougars
- Oklahoma Sooners
- Northwestern Wildcats
- Louisville Cardinals
- Texas A&M Aggies
- Arizona Wildcats
- Kentucky Wildcats
- USC Trojans
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida moves up in ESPN's FPI after Week 8 bye, plus other data
