Florida's power grade rivals Mississippi's spot atop the standings

Both teams arrive at 3-0, and on paper that makes this look like a coin flip in a conference matchup. The ratings say otherwise. Mississippi carries an A+ overall grade and sits 2nd in FBS, yet its power rank of 18th trails Florida's, whose A+ power grade puts it 9th in the country despite ranking 15th overall. The records match. The underlying numbers do not.

The offensive side tilts toward Florida, whose A+ offense ranks 6th in FBS, ahead of Mississippi's A offense at 14th. Defensively the gap narrows, with Mississippi's A defense at 14th and Florida's A defense at 19th. Neither team has faced a soft schedule by national standards, Florida ranking 32nd in strength of schedule and Mississippi 41st, so both marks have been earned against real competition.

Florida has been the faster riser, climbing from 37th to 15th in the Versus rankings so far this season, a jump that lines up with the projection. Versus favors Florida to win this conference matchup 33-28, giving the Gators a 61 percent chance at home against a Mississippi team that still grades out as one of the strongest in the sport.