The Florida Gators open the 2026-27 season ranked No. 2 in the Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings, leading the SEC in KenPom's preseason projections.

Florida has a plus-33.38 net rating in the Oct. 22 update, sitting between the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils (+34.42) and No. 3 Houston Cougars (+31.66). The Alabama Crimson Tide are the next SEC team on the list at No. 9, followed by the Texas Longhorns at No. 10.

The Gators' offense is projected to score 125.7 points per 100 possessions, the best mark in the country, while the defense is projected to allow 92.3 points per 100 possessions, seventh nationally. Florida narrowly edges the Illinois Illini (125.4) and Duke (125.1) for the top offensive rating.

Breaking down more KenPom ratings

Florida has a projected adjusted tempo of 73.8 possessions per 40 minutes, good for No. 25 in the country. That puts the Orange and Blue fifth among SEC teams, behind Alabama, Arkansas, Texas A&M and Georgia.

The Gators' luck rating sits at zero, along with every other team, before the season begins. KenPom's luck rating measures the difference between a team's actual winning percentage and its expected winning percentage, so there are no results to evaluate yet.

Strength of Schedule according to KenPom

Florida's strength of schedule and non-conference strength of schedule both sit at plus-0.00 in the preseason update. The opponent offensive and defensive ratings also remain at zero, with every team tied in those categories before games begin.

The SEC has 10 teams inside KenPom's preseason top 30. Along with Florida, Alabama and Texas, that group includes Vanderbilt (No. 13), Tennessee (No. 18), Texas A&M (No. 19), Arkansas (No. 20), Auburn (No. 25), Kentucky (No. 26) and Oklahoma (No. 29).