Gators crack Top 25--ESPN's Football Power Index says so
Monday, July 6, 2015 | Football, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The best part of the 2014 college football season was the way it ended.
And no Gator fans, I'm not talking about Urban Meyer winning his third national championship in colors other than orange and blue. I'm talking about the way the Buckeyes earned that title: in a four-team playoff.
Finally, after years of moaning and groaning about a broken BCS system, four qualified teams entered the national semifinals with a chance to win a title on the field.
Ohio State knocked off Alabama and Oregon in back-to-back games, leaving no doubt – at least in my eyes – the Buckeyes were the best team in the land when it mattered most.
Heck, the Buckeyes not only earned the title the old-fashioned way, those BCS-era computers determined Ohio State was the unanimous No. 1 team in the final College Football Computer Composite rankings, too.
The Billingsley, Colley, Massey, Sagarin and Wolfe computer formulas used numerous metrics the way the BCS formula did, including wins and losses, strength of schedule, home-field advantage, margin of victory (Massey and Sagarin), etc.
Those same computers ranked the Gators No. 31 at season's end, moving Florida up three spots after its 28-20 victory over East Carolina in the Birmingham Bowl.
Where is this going?
OK, while the first season of the Jim McElwain era will ultimately be determined by how well the Gators do once the 2015 season kicks off Sept. 5 against New Mexico State, the Gators are considered a Top 25 team in at least one ranking.
It's called the ESPN Football Power Index. Here is a description via ESPN.com:
The Football Power Index (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. FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 10,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule. Ratings and projections update daily.
According to ESPN's FPI, Ohio State remains No. 1, followed by Alabama, Baylor, TCU and LSU.
Meanwhile, the Gators have climbed into the Top 25 at No. 23, only two spots behind Florida State. The FPI considers Florida 12.5 points above average, FSU 14 points. The No. 1-ranked Buckeyes are 25.5 points above average.
Does that measurement take into account Florida's questions at quarterback – does the FPI prefer Will Grier or Treon Harris? What about the Gators' lack of experience on the offensive line, or the loss of defensive lineman Dante Fowler Jr.?
The FPI was unavailable for comment. For now, we'll just have to take him at his numbers.
