Where Florida Gators, FSU, Miami and USF rank in ESPN preseason projections

Florida’s college football teams are in for improvement this year, led by a Florida State team predicted to be the best in the ACC.

That’s one major takeaway from the initial 2023 SP+ projections, which ESPN unveiled Tuesday morning. The Seminoles are No. 11 nationally, according to the advanced metrics, and first in the ACC (slightly ahead of Clemson). FSU ended last season ranked 27th in these numbers. ESPN’s analytics say FSU will be favored in nine games, while matchups against LSU, Clemson and Florida are relative coin-flips.

The Gators also cracked the top 25, coming in 20th. That’s a 14-spot improvement from where UF finished in Billy Napier’s first season.

No. 39 UCF is seven spots higher than where it ended last fall, and Miami is up 32 spots to No. 42. USF starts the Alex Golesh era at No. 110, up 10 slots from a season ago.

SP+ is one of the most respected set of metrics. Its first crack at preseason rankings consider returning production, recent recruiting rankings and recent on-field success to gauge a team’s efficiencies. Two-time reigning national champion Georgia is, of course, No. 1, followed by Ohio State, Michigan, Alabama and Penn State.

The numbers will change when the second transfer portal window opens this spring, but ESPN is at least giving us an early glimpse at what the 2023 preseason rankings will look like when the season finally approaches again.

Check out ESPN’s full SP+ projections here.

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